Noel Mahony - An Appreciation by Edward Liddle

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Player:

NC Mahony

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DateLine: 9th January 2007

 

Few observers of Irish cricket, including I fancy the late Noel Cameron Mahony himself, would have described the former Irish Captain and opening batsman as a great player. Rather he was an above average club cricketer mainly recalled for his sound defesive play. This characteristic was forced upon him by the cricket he mostly played, pre limited over League and Cup cricket in Dublin, which could try the patience of even the most rabid entusiast, as the present writer, who speent his undergraduate summer weekends as a scorer in such circumstances can well recall. Yet despite these limitations Noel's contributio to the development Of Irish Cricket over the years was such that his inclusion in the recently published 100 Irish Greats cannot be denied. Born in Fermoy Co Cork he is, with Dominic Cronin and Alan Lewis, one of only three Munster born players to have captained Ireland. Together with Lewis and TP Horan he is one of three Munster men to have skippered a first class side. I do not include SirTC O'Brien who was a Cork resident when he captained Ireland but was Dublin born.

 

Noel was educated at Dublin's King's Hospital School, then housed in architectural splendour, but primeval facilities, in the city. The young Mahony must have enjoyed his days there- after graduating from Trinity College he returned to spend his working life there as a teacher of Mathematics. Significantly while a schoolboy he was inspired by an obscure English professional named Joe Angell to take an interest in coaching. After leaving school he found it difficult to gain a regular place in the University X1 and played some matches for the Civil Service club before joining Clontarf for whom the bulk of his 6500 league and cup runs were scored. He hit 4 100's and 41 50's. Figures which are good but not outstanding. The war did not disrupt suchcricket in Dublin but it deprived players of external opposition and may well have been crucial in hampering his development. After the war he played 18 innings for Ireland but managed only 299 runs at just over 18. He was captain on six occasions with a record of W2 L2 D2. His batting, as the figures suggest was disappointing, the moreso as he reached double figures in all but 4 of his innings. His true capability was only once shown. In 1948 the full Yorkshire side apart from Len Hutton played a 2 day match at the famous, but now alas built over Ormeau ground in Belfast. The match was a rain ruined draw, but on a wicket where the ball turned square, Noel defied an attack of Wardle, Smailes, Ellis Robinson, Coxon and Aspinall to hit 42 hard earned runs.

 

Despite this his true claim to fame lies elsewhere. While teaching He became the leading light in School cricket in Dublin. Here his vigerous enentthusiasm was matched only by his kindness and consideration to all ages This writer well remembers, even over a distance of 46 years having to represent his school at a meeting of the Leinster Schools' Cricket Union, a gauche 17 year old amongst an army of middle aged teachers includind surly Masons and austere Jesuits. It was Noel, presiding, who made me feel welcome and equal Many others can recall similar experiences. Coaching, however was where Noel made his lasting contribution to the wider game in Ireland. Since earlir times when some of the top clubs had emplyed high qualiity English coaches had long gone, the art had rather fallen by the wayside and Irish Cricket, south of the Border in particular had suffered. Noel set out torectify this. He became the first NCA fully qualified coach in Ireland. He then launched a programme to encourage others to do likewise.A teaching colleague John West- better known as a rugby referee was the first to follow. Soon however, Noel had constructed a network of such coaches all over Ireland. It is demonstrably true that the vast improvement in Irish cricket standards in recent years owes much of its origins to Noel's selfless grounwork. Without him there might well have been no Eoin Morgan, no Niall O'Brien and no Ed Joyce.

 

When he retired he was far from finished. An active President of the Irish Cricket Union in 1979, he also held that office withthe Leprechauns, the wandering side founded in 1948 to bring good cricket to Ireland's schools and more remote cricket centres. Its first President been Sir Stanley Cochrane. There is no contest as to which of the entrehprenural baronet or self effacing teacher did more for Irish Cricket. Noel' retirement also saw him coach the Irish Womens team in the 1985 World Cup in Australia and his old University in 1989 in what,tragically for that once great club, was to be one of their last truly successful seasons. Noel's death on 28th December 2006 deprived Irish Cricket of a great servant, a great friend and , a distinction he had held for just over two months following the death of his friend Ham Lambert, its oldest living International.