Top domino player dies following fire

Alan “Dino” Duncan, who lived in Grange Close, Warwick, was one of the longest serving and most popular players in the Leamington and District Domino League.

He was regarded as one of the great characters of the game and formed part of last season’s Jet B’s team who were double winners of the League and KO Cup.

Shortly after midnight last Wednesday firefighters were called to the ground floor flat of the 59-year-old divorced father-of-three.

They used breathing apparatus to enter the blazing flat and found Mr Duncan suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.

He was rescued and taken by ambulance crews to the burns unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where he died shortly afterwards.

On Monday Mr Duncan’s nephew, Gerald Duncan, who is also secretary of the league, said: “Uncle Dino will be sorely missed by everyone - he was one of the league’s greatest characters with a mightily impressive honours list.

“He’s also the reason I play the game today - because he taught me.”

Mr Duncan was born in Leamington and was one of 12 children.

He’d always been regarded as a big family man who loved dominoes but was also good at cribbage. Despite suffering from ill health in recent years he was looking forward to competing with Jet B this season.

Firefighters still do not know the cause of the blaze in his flat but say there are no suspicious circumstances.