Remembering Eddie Moore

Cricket Leinster was saddened to learn of Eddie Moore’s passing on Friday, February 5^th in Dublin, aged just 50.

This article has been put together as Leinster teammates and rivals wanted to give an insight into Eddie, and why his passing is hard to accept so young, when some of his generation, such as Conor Hoey, are still going strong in the Leinster leagues.

Locally, Eddie was an eye-catching member of CYM’s team in Leinster, with 52 wickets in 1992 and 51 wickets in 1994, including his 7-41 against Pembroke that year at Terenure, where Eddie tormented batsmen with All Black Bruce Deans picking up many catches at short leg throughout the season. It would be fair to say the Pembroke/Terenure games were very, very competitive during that period with both sides pressing hard each year for Division 1 league title honours.

From the Leinster community, we have received requests from Alan Lewis, Trevor Dagg, Stuart McCready, Conor Hoey, Jason Molins and Colm ‘Roxy’ Morgan, to share their memories of Eddie’s impact in Leinster league cricket.

Trevor Dagg’s comments:

“Eddie was a fantastic cricketer and an even more fantastic guy. I was the same age as Eddie so very fortunate to play on a few teams together as we came up through the ranks. We had great schoolboy trips to Oxford in 1988 & 1989, one with Leinster where we won three out of the five games which was unheard of back then against English county opposition (should have won 4!), and the second for Ireland finishing behind two accomplished England teams at Radley College. On the pitch, he was the danger man and the guy you wanted to throw the ball to get a wicket. He was always a threat, fast and accurate as he steamed in with his red hair flowing behind him! Off the pitch he was such a brilliant guy, great memories and stories. I remember Eddie was great at doing impersonations and picking up on each of the characters with the team, it was hilarious as long as it wasn't you! In saying that,  he always knew where the line was and to stay the right side of it. I honestly don’t remember anyone ever having a bad word to say about Eddie. An incredibly popular person and very talented cricketer. I'm gutted. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. RIP Eddie."

Stuart McCready (Pembroke/YMCA) comments: 

“The norm when playing at Terenure was they would bat first, look to declare after 50 overs, leaving the visitors the full remaining 60 overs to chase down the score. It may sound straight forward, but in reality, it was anything but. The CYM lads went all out attack from the start in search of wickets, and on occasions had just the one fielder placed in front of square. Eddie was the team’s trump card with his pace, nagging accuracy, and ability to bowl a good bouncer that had all visiting teams regularly in trouble. Whilst Eddie played hard on the pitch, he was also a great guy off the pitch to have a drink with after the game, and regularly entertained all the players in the bar afterwards with his impressions of cricketers around Leinster”.

Conor Hoey comments:

“His horizontal, mild mannered character off the field of play, his wicket sense of humour, his dry wit and his comical impersonations will always remain forever in my mind. What a gentle soul he really was, softly spoken and yet he always had that little bit of devilment in his eyes! The cogs were always turning, but cards remained very close to his chest, and then an hour or two later, whether it was in the CY home dressing room or in the bar over a pint, out pops his one-liner followed by another of his great impressions. It was some incident that caught his attention during the game, something innocuous, but from out of nowhere, his delivery would have everyone in his company in stitches of laughter!! It could have been Moggy’s attempt to catch another edge, or maybe The Brut’s lack lustre effort to save a single at backward square! Yeah, that’s what I will always remember about Eddie. He rarely lost his temper, Eddie never had a bad word to say about anyone! He saw the good in everyone, a true gent and one of the most popular and well respected cricketers of our time, but definitely one of the all-time great impersonators!

On the field of play, however, the gentle Ed turned into the “Fiery” Eddie steaming in from the top end with a red angry face, dripping with sweat as he followed through half way down the track! The cacophonous sound of slip fielders and a ridiculous attacking set of close fielders encouraging him all the way to bowl as fast and as furious as we knew he could! The rye disconsolate smile at the petrified batsmen as he played and missed once again! This poor bloke was having an awful time. Moggy (Ian Morgan) behind the stumps with the constant apology back to the bowler “Sorry Eddie” as ‘Iron Gloves’ drops another one! The Apres Match anthem at the time was our interpretation of a Queen classic – “Another one hits the gloves, and another one down, and another one down, another one hits the gloves…sorry Eddie, another one hits the gloves” This rendition was heard being roared out regularly from the Home changing room, after another successful home win, invariably involving another “five-for” from our left arm fast bowling legend”.

Colm ‘Roxy’ Morgan (Terenure CC) comments:

“Eddie and his family were an integral part of the CYM club that I grew up in and had so much fun in. The early 90’s group was a really talented side, full of characters both on and off the pitch and Eddie fitted in perfectly. He was a superb cricketer and our main weapon upfront. He struck fear into many an opponent, whilst proceeding to entertain them afterward with his wit and extreme talent as a mimic! He was so well liked by all of us at CY and we were so proud when he got capped for Ireland. I and so many others from that period have such fond memories from the many days playing together. We are so sad to learn of his passing”. 

It would be fair to say Eddie found the senior interprovincial ‘Guinness Cup’ a very enjoyable series and was part of a talented and very committed Alan Lewis & John Wills led South Leinster side that dominated the series in the early 1990s, the ‘time’ matches particularly suiting his style of bowing, which Jason Molins, was very keen to share his thoughts on.

Jason Molins’ comments:

“Eddie was, without doubt, one of the most feared bowlers in Leinster cricket, with a reputation for bowling with pace and aggression. But his skill set was much more than just that and he had plenty of variation in his armoury, and when he found his rhythm he was, without doubt, one of the best bowlers in the country. Despite being this fast nasty bowler, he played the game in the true spirit in which it is meant to be played.

I played on a number of occasions with him both at Interprovincial level and with Ireland. Having started my education at Wesley College his cricket reputation permeated through the school. He was the cricket God at Wesley and being many years below him in school I really looked up to him. So, to get to play alongside him a few years later was an absolute honour. My last game with him in Irish colours was the abbreviated 3-day game in 1995 against Scotland at Leinster cricket club. From memory, it was a pretty gentle track and I don’t remember Eddie having much success – but unlike many others that I played with where a poor performance would impact their mood around the dressing room, I never saw any of that with Eddie”.  

At senior Ireland level, Eddie enjoyed far too short a career for his talent, if his wickets do include multiple Ashes and World Cup winner Alan Border in 1993, with Alan Lewis, sharing his thoughts of his former National team roommate.

Alan Lewis’ comments:

“When I think of memories, and Eddie in particular, he was never if ever without a smile even mischievously so. He was always such fun, a great team man and a superb mimic who sweated profusely when he bowled. Lilliesque with his DF cotton shirt button half way down his chest. I can’t stop chuckling when I think of “Adam the batsman and Leon the bowler!!!” Only insiders will know….

I roomed with Eddie at the ICC World Cup 1994 in Kenya and got to know him so much more then. What quickly presented itself to me was that he was never one to push himself. In a cricketing sense, my own father was somewhat similar.

You get to know each other better in environments like that. I said to him on about night five or six “Eddie you are not in the team at present – surely you don’t want to be a drinks carrier for the rest of the trip” Give something a go. Let the management know how good you are. Training facilities weren’t that great and he asked: “what should I do”.  I said “when everyone is eating at lunch get Davy Houghton (a  consultant on that trip) and bowl on a side wicket – take the keeper with you. I thought no more of it until Davy came up to me soon after and said “Eddie is hitting the cap 4 times out of 6, fantastic stuff” No disrespect to Paul McCrum at the time but he had been struggling a bit for rhythm and that can happen any bowler or indeed batter. Eddie got a chance and forced his way in.

Eddie should have played more for Ireland in all honesty. However, that is not important now. The extended Moore family and indeed Eddie’s wife Yvonne and are what is important now. We should remember him for all the love he brought wherever he went. One of life’s good guys and the expressions of grief across the cricketing community only tell you of the affection all had for him. I spoke of similarities between my father and Eddie and perhaps they might cross paths in the ‘Castle in the Sky’ and ask themselves why. I only wish it wasn’t 20 years since I had last seen you, Eddie. The times we are in has taught me to continue to reach out as life can be so fickle at times”.   

Authors comments:

I have my own very fond memories of Eddie as a teammate with the Ireland U19s in the International Youth Tournament at Radley College in England back in 1989.  It featured the quality of Darren Gough, Dominic Cork, Mark Ilott, Chris Adams, Robert Croft, and André van Troost, but Eddie was the match for any of them, spearheading our attack each day and gaining many admirers for his skill, stamina, and determination to achieve success for the team. Eddie lined out for the Leinster u19’s for four consecutive years, loving the grounds and playing facilities around Oxford which, back then, was the highlight of the season for any young, aspiring Leinster cricketer.

On a lighter note, following Ireland’s participation at World Cups in 1990 and again in 1994, Eddie was able to do fantastic impressions of all the RTE pundits including Bill O’Herlihy, Eamon Dunphy & John Giles. The topic was never football however, but always referencing Leinster cricketers. Trust me, if you were a player, a coach, an umpire, or just a general supporter, Eddie would have you down to a tee.

That is what makes Eddie’s subsequent loss to Leinster and Irish cricket hard to accept.

Top-end coaches like Mike Hendrick and Adi Birrell came to Ireland too late for Eddie to avail full use of, but watch out in heaven, Eddie Moore and Roy Torrens will make for a very challenging Irish bowling attack for the matches that will commence up above in due course.

Brian O’Rourke

February 2021