Born | 2 March 1970, Dublin |
Died | 5 February 2021, Dublin |
Educated | Wesley College Dublin |
Occupation | Insurance Company Executive |
Debut | 19 July 1991 v Duchess of Norfolk's XI at Arundel |
Cap Number | 581 |
Style | Right hand batsman, left arm fast medium |
Teams | CYM, Worcestershire 2nd XI |
History | Eddie Moore was a good left arm opening bowler who relied on speed rather than any great swing or movement off the pitch to get his wickets. This could make him lethal in helpful conditions but his pace meant that he was an awkward proposition for opening batsmen anywhere. As a tail end batsman, he could, on occasions, hit with power and effect. Educated at Wesley College, he had the good fortune to benefit from the coaching not only of Frank Morrison, long time guru of Leinster Schools' cricket, but also of Mike Halliday whose "day job" for many years was to be a highly valued historian on the Wesley staff. Eddie was a force in Schools' and age group representative cricket for six years. In 1984 his speed upset opposing batsmen as Leinster took the U15 interprovincial title, Eddie being particularly effective against the NCU . He took 3-9 to help dismiss the Northerners for 140 thus allowing his side to win by 25 runs. The NCU innings was dominated by a fine 95 from Paul Linehan but this was not enough to bring them victory. The following season, Leinster again took the title with Eddie as captain. By this time a senior player with CYM, he was four years in the South Leinster side in the Ulster Bank U19 competition as well as in the Irish Schools' XI. He produced several notable performances in the interprovincials series, for example in 1986, he was running through a strong Ulster Country batting line up, having taken 3-16 when rain intervened, leaving UC poorly placed on 31-5 in reply to SL's 170-9. Two years later when South Leinster won a rain ruined tournament he took 3-9 in a 92 runs win over Ulster Town at Cooke. 1989, his final year in the competition, saw him destroy the Munster upper order at Harlequins CC in Cork, the hosts being dismissed for 49, with Eddie taking 3-14. Munster had also suffered at his hands - or rather arm - in 1987 in an ordinary schools' interprovincial when he had taken 8-15 for Leinster. These performances did, of course, gain him a place in the Irish Schools' side between 1986 and 1989. After capturing the wicket of future Glamorgan mainstay Adrian Dale in his debut match against Wales at Colwyn Bay, where the hosts had little difficulty in winning, he was in the side which moved on to play the English Schools at the attractive Queen's Park ground in Chesterfield. Here Ireland were outclassed by a team bristling with players who later made their names in first class cricket. Eddie did well to come away with a wicket in each innings. In the first he disposed of a stylish looking opening batsman called Ramprakash, caught by future Rugby international Vinny Cunningham for 9, while in the second he had the wicket of David Leatherdale, later for many years a mainstay of the Worcestershire middle order and now that county's chief executive. Eddie's best match was against Wales at Ynsygrewn in 1988, when rain prevented a potentially interesting finish. In the Welsh first innings Eddie had figures of 31-9-75-4, with only the Welsh captain Robert Croft, playing him with any confidence. Rain again prevented a result against England at Rathmines, though this probably did the hosts a favour. In England's first innings, Eddie, bowling with some pace, had the wickets of the captain Nick Knight and batsman Nadeem Shahid later to have a successful career with Essex and Surrey. How Nick would have commentated on his dismissal one can only imagine! In his last season in the side, Eddie failed to take a wicket in another rain affected draw with Wales but, celebrating perhaps his appointment as captain, made his highest score at this level an undefeated 34. Eddie was also in the Irish U 19 team which took part in an international tournament in the English southern midlands in 1989. At Radley College he had 3-21 as Ireland beat Canada by 94 runs. The following year saw him gain a place in the Ireland U23 side both for the annual match with the Irish Universities and for a tour of Scotland. Against the Universities, after the U23s had made 246, Eddie (3-34) and slow left armer Stu Taylor (5-10) forced the follow on, but though Eddie took a further two wickets, the students saved the match. He was in form against them in another drawn match the following season with first innings analysis of 20-4-61-4 but again a draw resulted. Eddie's senior career for CYM had, as we have seen, begun while he was still at school. Thus in 1986 as a 16 year old, he took 28 wickets at 22.67, only leg spinner Conor Hoey taking more wickets for the Club. That summer also saw him spend some time with Worcestershire and appear in a rain affected 2nd XI match against Gloucestershire at Bristol. In a side which was captained by a very experienced pace bowler in John Inchmore and including two others who were later to be impressive at first class level, as well as the express Ricardo Elcock, a Bajan, once seen as an England prospect, who gave up cricket to become an airline pilot, Eddie got only 10 overs, as the hosts made 253, and failed to take a wicket. His best season for CYM came in 1992 when he took 52 wickets - the third highest in the season's Leinster senior cricket, at 19.98, though two seasons later he took one wicket fewer for a better average 15.72 which saw him finish third in the LCU averages. He took 7-41 twice that season against Clontarf and Pembroke, both matches were at Terenure where, it has to be said, the matting wicket gave him some assistance. That summer he also won the Man of the Match award in the second round of the Cup against Railway Union. Surprisingly, however, he won it as a batsman. His quickfire 55* helped CYM to a total of 217, Railway finishing their 50 overs on 173-9. He bowled well in the semi final against YMCA taking 3-58. However his team-mates found the old firm of Dunlop (126*) and Lewis (79) in too good a nick and the Claremont Road side amassed 288-5. At interprovincial level Eddie was not always successful, though he could generally be relied on to pick up one or two wickets. HIs best figures came against Munster at Rathmines in 1993. He destroyed the visitors' middle order, taking 4-36 to see them bowled out for 163 after a Lewis century had enabled South Leinster to total 225-8. The following year he had 4-51 in a drawn match with North West at Kimmage. It was an impressive haul comprising Bobby Rao, James and Junior McBrine and Nigel Thompson. Eddie played 25 times for Ireland between 1991 and 1995 taking 22 wickets at 53.68. Such a return was a rather poor one for a bowler of his undoubted talents, three 3 wicket hauls being his best performances. Some considered that his general reliance on speed rather than swing or movement off the wicket was the reason and that he was not, at this level, fast enough to cause great concern to top class batsmen. Be that as it may, he still surprised some of them . Thus in his debut match against the Duchess of Norfolk's XI at Arundel, he clean bowled the hosts captain, former Oxford Blue and Warwickshire opener John Claughton for 2 with the innings barely started. The following summer saw his best figures when his hostility and accuracy rattled the Welsh batsmen at College Park after Ireland had totalled 266-7 dependent almost entirely on a record opening partnership between Stephen Warke and Michael Rea. Eddie's figures of 22-9-36-4, together with Hoey's leg breaks, ensured Ireland a 55 run first innings lead, in a match which ended in a draw with the visitors just holding out. His best season, in terms of wickets taken was 1994 when, in 11 matches he took 13 wickets for 610. This included two further three wicket hauls. Against MCC at Castle Avenue, a match in which the visitors were victorious in Ireland for the first time for 20 years, he was easily Ireland's best bowler in the first innings with figures of 22-6-62-3, including England "one cap wonder" Paul Parker caught behind for 5 with only 17 on the board. Eddie also made 21 in the first innings, his highest score for Ireland. In the Triple Crown match at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, he had 3-39, the wickets coming in his second spell as Scotland collapsed dramatically from 161-3 to 168-8 in the space of 14 balls. Their 9th wicket pair then added 30 which was to prove to have put the match out of Ireland's reach. Eddie did not play for Ireland again after the 1995 season - in which he appeared in one match taking 1-54 - but continued the following year to enjoy success for CYM, he took 45 wickets in LCU matches at 18.69 with best bowling of 6-54. However his outstanding performance of the season came in the first round of the Irish Senior Cup against Lurgan. Batting first CYM appeared to have left the Pollock Park side a simple task, setting them only108 to win. However Edie had other ideas. He tore through the Lurgan order to take 6-26 and leave his team victorious by 24 runs. Despite this success Edward Robert Moore then dropped out of cricket . He was said to have tired of the game, to have fallen out of love with it. He has, instead, concentrated on his career in which he has been very successful. Whatever his reasons for premature retirement, and this writer makes no claims to omniscience, his pace and hostility when "on song" will long be remembered by those who saw - or faced! - him.
Edward Liddle, February 2012, updated 7 Febrary 2021 |