Irvin Iffla

Irvin Iffla, who has died aged 88 after a long illness, was a Jamaican cricketer credited with popularising the sport in Scotland after coming to this country in 1951 as a high-profile club professional at Stirling County. Within a year the spin-bowling all-rounder had transformed the perennial non-achievers into county champions.

Before arriving in Scotland he represented Jamaica and in 1947 turned out in a match against the touring MCC and dismissed the legendary Len Hutton.

His skills attracted crowds of more than 3000 to Scottish county matches. He went on to play for several local teams and make them champions as well.

He retired in 1993 aged 69, having scored more than 13,000 runs, including 16 centuries, and taken more than 1600 wickets.

Mr Iffla was awarded the Freedom of the City of Stirling in 2009, becoming only the second individual to receive the city's highest honour, after Lt Col Frank Saunders, Scotland's oldest war veteran.

Mr Iffla and his wife Lucille were married in Kingston on their home island of Jamaica in 1945. They came to Scotland six years later when he won the position of professional at Stirling. The club, one of the oldest in Scotland, had performed in the Scottish Counties Championship without much success – but within 12 months they had been transformed into a title-wining team.

Though he had arrived in Scotland on a one-year contract at Stirling, he never left. Between 1951 and 1993, he played at Stenhousemuir, Ayrshire, St Modan's and Gargunnock as well as Stirling County.

During a two-year spell as a professional at Ayrshire he took future England captain Mike Denness "under his wing". Denness, the second Scot to captain England, said Mr Iffla would have enjoyed a Test career in the 1950s and 1960s had he not been in direct competition with two of the West Indies' most revered spinners, Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine.

The motion to grant Mr Iffla the Freedom of Stirling read: "That in recognition of his long-standing commitment and contribution to the public life of the City of Stirling as sportsman and citizen, the council resolves to convey the Freedom of the City of Stirling on Mr Irvin Iffla."

He said at the time: "I'm very proud. To think a cricketer could be given this award before a footballer or a rugby star is really remarkable. Cricket in Scotland doesn't have the same profile as those sports but I always tried to do what I could."

The Jamaican government paid tribute to Mr Iffla then as "a cricketer extraordinaire" who had helped to popuilarise the game to Scotland.

Mr Iffla and his wife had five children, Maxine, Dennis, Robin, Trisha and Wendy. His funeral will be held on Monday at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Stirling.