A Carrickfergus man has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for over 50 years of voluntary service to cricket.

Roger Bell, who has held numerous roles at Carrickfergus Cricket Club and within the Northern Cricket Union (NCU), said he was surprised by the award and pleased to see the club and the union acknowledged.

Mr Bell first became involved with Carrickfergus Cricket Club in 1973 while a pupil at Carrick Grammar School. He later served as honorary secretary for more than two decades, was club president in 2013-14, and currently serves as honorary treasurer. He is also an honorary life member and played a key role in the club’s 1986 acquisition of its Middle Road grounds, followed by the construction of a clubhouse and development of the ground to Premier League standard.

His governance roles include a lengthy stint on the NCU board from 1981 to 2022, serving as chairman in 2010-11 and president in 2021-22. He was NCU honorary secretary from 1991 to 1994 and has held the post of league secretary continuously since 1976. From 2007 to 2011 he also served on the Cricket Ireland board.

As manager of the Belfast Under-14 cricket team from 2002 to 2019, he guided the side to Lord’s Taverners’ Inner Cities Cup victories in 2002 and 2005.

Carrickfergus club president John Stewart said Mr Bell’s dedication, diligence, and attention to detail made him an invaluable figure at the club and throughout Northern Ireland cricket. He added that the honour was well deserved and reflected a contribution that had shaped the sport for generations.