LES O’SHEA

The legendary Ireland and Malahide bowler Dougie Goodwin was once asked did he have a favourite in terms of a bowling partner.  He promptly nominated Les O’Shea.

“Les was an awkward bowler. He bowled with a low round arm action. Many batsmen found him difficult to play against including Irish internationals Alec O'Riordan and Gerry Duffy.  And then I used to pick up wickets at the other end having negotiated a difficult, skiddy over from Les” said Dougie.

Les played all his cricket for Malahide.  He was a clever seam bowler.  His stock ball was an in swinger.  Top batsmen from his era would say that he was very accurate but had the ability to mix it up including with variations of pace and angle of delivery.  Without doubt, the track in the old Malahide ground was tricky but Les made the most of the favourable bowling conditions.

He was pugnacious and combative and often intimidated batsmen with a follow through stare and jutting chin.  He was not short of confidence and in fact he tended to up a gear when bowling to the best.

In 1964 Malahide won the Leinster Senior League for the first time.  The Irish Times reported:

“An extraordinary fact about Malahide’s success…was that the seasiders employed only three bowlers during the entire campaign Dougie Goodwin, Podge Hughes [both Irish Internationals] and Les O’Shea who carried the attack so devastatingly to so many victories.”  

The wicket tally for that ’64 season was Dougie 64, Podge 54 and Les 34.  They were a potent trio of young bowlers coming into their prime with different skill sets and temperaments.

Les played in all three-in-a-row Senior Cup Finals v Old Belvedere in 1964, ‘65 and ‘66 losing all three.  He captained the team in 1966.  In the 1964 Final at the Cabra Oval he took for 4 for 29 in 20 overs with Irish Times cricket correspondent Seamus Devlin reporting that “Leslie O’Shea was in brilliant bowling form”.

The general feeling is that he could have played at a higher level but for one cause or another it didn’t happen.  

For his own reasons Les took a step back from Senior 1 cricket in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  He was a member of the double winning Malahide third XI in 1971 captained by Doug Keegan and inevitably made a significant contribution to the success.  In the mid ‘70s he returned to the top flight picking up another Senior 1 League win in 1977 and a Wiggins Teape trophy in 1976, both under the captaincy of Irish international GP O’Brien.  Later he dropped down the leagues captaining and playing.

Les was a natural talent.  His run up, delivery and follow through were free flowing.  He was also an outstanding fielder.  Not for him the usual fine leg for a seam bowler.  He patrolled the covers and had a terrific side arm throw.  He bowled right arm, batted left hand.  Was a right handed golfer but putted left hand.

Les didn’t lick it off the streets.  His older brother Danny was a fine bowler who won the O’Grady Cup [best bowler in Leinster] in 1954.  Danny was a more orthodox seamer bowling from a height.

Going well back in time Les’s twin uncles Charlie and Henry O’Shea feature in the oldest recorded Malahide team photo circa 1899.  Charlie was a member of the first Malahide team to win a senior trophy when the Village overcame Clontarf in 1906 to win the Leinster Junior League “B” Division.

LEINSTER SENIOR 1 STATISTICS FROM 1959-1977 (courtesy of Derek Scott statistics)
215 MATCHES
334 WICKETS for 5865 RUNS at an AVERAGE of 17.55
5 WICKETS in an INNINGS – 11 TIMES
LEAGUE WINS: 1964 and 1977
WIGGINS TEAPE LEAGUE WIN: 1976
PLAYED 114 successive matches between 1961 and 1967

Brian Gilmore