SHOULDER HIGH

“Can anyone remember a famous final that Malahide won in the fifties.   Malahide were considered to be a relatively small club at the time and they were playing one of the bigger clubs in the cup final, Malahide were taking a bit of a hiding when the last two men came in to bat,

I am open to correction on this but I am fairly sure that the wicket keeper Sean O’Brien [known as Jacko] and fast bowler Danny O’Shea were the tailenders and they needed a lot of runs to win, they were in for over a day with Danny stonewalling and Sean scoring runs as he could, it went on for so long that most of Malahide village, including myself, went along to watch. I think it was Danny who eventually scored the winning run. I have never been a big cricket fan but I think that it was one of the best days Malahide ever had, even people who knew nothing about cricket celebrated.”

The above was a recent posting on the Malahide Area History Facebook page.  It’s all true except that it was the semi-final of the 1955 Leinster Senior Cup which was played on a timeless basis starting on a Friday evening, continuing on the Saturday and then the following weekday evenings if necessary.  Every club has its own folklore.  This game and in particular the last wicket stand lives on in the Village.

Batting first Pembroke scored 209, a big score in that era.  By Monday evening the game was all but over.  In reply Malahide were 116 for 9 when Jacko, batting at 9, was joined by last man Danny with 94 to win.  

The wicket was tricky – the Irish Times noted that “the ball came through at varying heights making strokeplay difficult”.  The powerful Sandymount outfit were laden down with Irish Internationals, seven in total*, and were the current League and Cup double holders. 

Malahide were underdogs having only joined the Senior 1 ranks two years previously in 1953.  The Village also had lost their main man Paddy Neville for a duck.  And Danny, fine bowler that he was, was a genuine number 11. Mickey Williams led a potent Pembroke attack bowling fast off breaks ending up with 7 for 59 off 38 overs.

Somehow, the Malahide pair made it to close of play on Monday evening with the score at 166 for 9.  Jacko not out on 41, Danny on 4.  44 to win.  Play resumed on the Tuesday evening - “most of Malahide village” was either inside the ground or over the hedge on the Dublin Road cheering on every run.  Jacko farmed the strike and attacked at every opportunity belting three sixes and eight fours.  Incredibly, Jacko and Danny defied all the odds and saw Malahide home winning by one wicket.  Jacko 79 not out, Danny 7 not out.

Billy Goodwin, Malahide CC ’s Patron was a youngster and on the fringes of the first XI at the time.  “There are two things that stick out in the memory from that game.  When Danny hit the winning run a group of us ran onto the pitch and carried Jacko shoulder high off the pitch.  And then almost immediately after the game which finished early on the Tuesday evening, we played a 20 overs Mid Week league match against the same Pembroke team.  Again we beat them.  By that stage they were shattered!”

By all accounts the defeat and in particular the manner of the defeat in the semi final was a big blow to the much fancied Pembroke XI and it wasn’t until a couple of years later that they resumed their winning ways by again securing the League and Cup Double in 1957.

Malahide

Former Irish International Ray Daly and captain of Malahide’s double winning team in 1971 was a youngster at the time but vividly remembers the game. “Jacko’s innings was a bit like Kevin O’Brien’s knock against England in 2011.  There was nothing to lose so he cut loose while protecting Danny at the other end.  Jacko was a great attacking left-handed bat.  He wasn’t afraid to hit the ball in the air which was unusual in those times as there was a lot of conservative play then.”

Jacko was also a fine all-round sportsman and at the time was Bohemians FC goalkeeper in the League of Ireland.   He was awarded the prestigious Sport Star of the Week by the Irish Independent for his “sensational” innings.

Reproduced by kind permission of Independent Newspapers

Alas, it was not to be for the Village in the Final as Leinster coasted to victory by 107 runs:
Leinster CC 272 all out
Malahide CC 165 all out.

*Pembroke’s Seven Irish Internationals
Conor Ó Máille
Stanley Bergin
WE “Bill” Haughton
Mickey Willaims
Joe Hopkins
Godfrey Graham
Peter Webb

Pembroke

End of play scores:
Fri 1/7 - Pembroke 120/5
Sat 2/7 - Pembroke 209 all out; MCC 74/3
Mon 3/7 - MCC 166/9
Tue 4/7 - MCC 211/9
189.5 = total overs bowled in match

Brian Gilmore
August 2024