BLUE MOON
Blue Moon, Hen’s Teeth, Holy Grail it dosen’t matter which figure of speech you use they all apply to Alun Brophy’s incredible feat of capturing all 10 Merrion wickets at Anglesea Road in the Leinster Senior League on Saturday 27th April 1991.
Only three bowlers previously have completed the clean sweep since the formation of the League in 1919 and they were Frank Ward (Pembroke) 10/29 in 1932, Simon Redpath (Trinity) 10/42 in 1938 and Freddie Leopold (Civil Service) 10/64 in 1942. Nobody since Brophy (Malahide) has bagged all 10.
Brophy’s figures were 18.4 overs, 6 maidens, 25 runs, 10 wickets thus making it the best ever bowling performance in the history of Senior 1 cricket in Leinster. Eight of his victims were bowled. And remarkably only 15 runs came from the bat as the young seamer bowled nine no balls and one wide which makes his figures even more striking as the rules in yesteryear were that no balls and wides did not count against the bowler.
“The truth is I didn’t really think of the significance of what was happening at the time. The last two wickets, 9 and 10, were consecutive balls. It was probably better that way because if I had to think about getting the 10th wicket, maybe for another over or two, my head would have been all over the place!” reflects Alun.
It was the first League game of the season. Alun was 20. He was handed the new ball and choice of ends by captain Kevin Price. His opening bowling partner was former international Alan Hughes. Tom O’Neill left arm seamer and former interpro was first change.
The wicket was low and slow and not especially suited to Brophy’s style of pace bowling. Price won the toss and inserted Merrion who were captained by John Heavey. It was Heavey’s first match as captain and in his own words “a baptism of fire!”. The weather was decent for late April – “sunny” is noted by scorer Robert Weir in the scorebook.
Brophy bowled unchanged from the Hazeldene Apartments end or as he says the Albert Reynolds end. At the time Taoiseach Reynolds owned a pad in the complex and would often be seen going in and out.
“I had problems with my run up and so for the first number of overs the main concern was where my front foot was landing. That’s probably the reason why I bowled so many no balls. Also, it was the first game, so I hadn’t really found my rhythm” says Alun.
Alan Hughes’s recollection of the day was that he felt that Alun increased his pace during his momentous spell. Brophy suggests two possible reasons for this. One that he was beginning to sort out his run up but secondly and perhaps more importantly Price issued the age old captain’s instruction to his young bowler “One more!”. At that point he had bowled 11 or 12 overs on the trot. Like most bowlers Brophy was never happy to be relieved of his duties, but on this day, he was determined to stay on, so he upped the pace.
Brophy, who only began to bowl as a 15 year old, explained that he always targeted the stumps. He was never “a corridor of uncertainty” merchant. Top of off angling in to the batsman. He generated raw speed and when he got it right could make the batters hop about. “I was playing decent level gaelic for St Sylvesters in Malahide and rugby for Clontarf so I was in good shape. Bowling a long spell was not really a problem” says Alun. It was just one of those days where everything began to click and the wickets started to fall and fall!
Word had spread to the nearby Merrion Road in Ballsbridge where Alun’s grandfather Bobby Brophy was attending a Wanderers rugby match. Bobby hightailed it down to Anglesea Road and witnessed his grandson knocking over the last two wickets. “My grandad being there at the end and then my dad was in the clubhouse when I arrived back in Malahide was pretty special.”
“After the game obviously there were celebrations. I particularly remember the craic driving back to the Village with teammates Dino Ryan and his brother Colin. Dino had his beloved Stiff Little Fingers belting it out on the tape deck as we stopped off on the way in the Sheaf of Wheat in Coolock and Campions in Kinsealy!
The next day, Sunday, I was playing for the seconds against CYM in the Village. My stats were not so good, one for plenty!”
“The Club presented me with a ball mounted on a plinth which I have at home. Pricey admitted to me a number of years later that in fact the actual ball which I took the wickets with was re-cycled down to one of the lower teams, as was the custom, to be used in the following weekend fixtures and never to be seen again!” admits an understanding Brophy.
Copyright Independent Newspapers. Reproduced by their kind permission.
What are the chances of Alun Brophy’s record ever being beaten? Unlikely, as bowlers are now limited to a certain number of overs. Maybe in the distant future when Earth play Mars in the Inter Galactic Cup and the conditions are suitable on the Red Planet and the regulations have been relaxed, a young bowler might emerge out of nowhere and knock all 10 over for less than 25 runs. You just never know!
TOP 4 Individual Bowling Performances
1991 10/25 A Brophy (Malahide) v Merrion at Anglesea Road
1932 10/29 TF Ward (Pembroke) v Leinster at Sydney Parade
1938 10/42 S Redpath (Trinity) v Clontarf at Castle Avenue
1942 10/64 F Leopold (Civil Service) v Phoenix at the Phoenix Park
Brian Gilmore 2024
