Tom Horan

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Tom Horan


country = Australia
fullname = Thomas Patrick Horan
nickname = Felix (pen name)
living =
dayofbirth = 8
monthofbirth = 3
yearofbirth = 1854
placeofbirth = Midleton, County Cork
countryofbirth = Ireland
dayofdeath = 16
monthofdeath = 4
yearofdeath = 1916
placeofdeath = Malvern, Victoria
countryofdeath = Australia
heightft =
heightinch =
heightm =
batting = Right-hand
bowling = Right-arm roundarm
role = Middle-order batsman
international =
testdebutdate = 15 March
testdebutyear = 1877
testdebutagainst = England
testc

lasttestdate = 21 March
lasttestyear = 1885
lasttestagainst = England
odidebutdate =
odidebutyear =
odidebutagainst =
odic

lastodidate =
lastodiyear =
lastodiagainst =
odishirt =
club1 = Victoria
year1 = 1874–1891
clubnumber1 =
club2 =
year2 =
clubnumber2 =
club3 =
year3 =
clubnumber3 =
club4 =
year4 =
clubnumber4 =
deliveries =
columns = 2
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 15
runs1 = 471
bat avg1 = 18.84
100s/50s1 = 1/1
top score1 = 124
deliveries1 = 373
wickets1 = 11
bowl avg1 = 13.00
fivefor1 = 1
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 6/40
catches/stumpings1 = 6/0
column2 = FC
matches2 = 106
runs2 = 4027
bat avg2 = 23.27
100s/50s2 = 8/12
top score2 = 141*
deliveries2 = 2044
wickets2 = 35
bowl avg2 = 23.68
fivefor2 = 2
tenfor2 = 0
best bowling2 = 6/40
catches/stumpings2 = 39/0
column3 =
matches3 =
runs3 =
bat avg3 =
100s/50s3 =
top score3 =
deliveries3 =
wickets3 =
bowl avg3 =
fivefor3 =
tenfor3 =
best bowling3 =
catches/stumpings3 =
column4 =
matches4 =
runs4 =
bat avg4 =
100s/50s4 =
top score4 =
deliveries4 =
wickets4 =
bowl avg4 =
fivefor4 =
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date = 26 February
year = 2008
source = [ [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/13/13.html Cricket Archive ] at www.cricketarchive.com]

Thomas Patrick Horan (8 March 1854 — 16 April 1916) was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia, and later became an esteemed cricket journalist under the pen name "Felix". The first of only two Irish-born players to play Test cricket for Australia, Horan was the leading batsman in the colony of Victoria during the pioneering years of international cricket. He played for Australia in the game against England subsequently designated as the first Test match before touring England with the first representative Australian team, in 1878. Four years later, he toured England for the second time and played in the famed Ashes Test match at The Oval.

An aggressive middle-order batsman renowned for his leg-side play, Horan supplemented his batting by bowling medium-pace in the roundarm style common to his era and once captured six wickets in a Test match innings. During a season disrupted by financial disputes and a “strike” by leading players, he captained Australia in two Test matches of the 1884–85 Ashes series, but lost both games. Horan’s form peaked between the ages of 26 and 29 when he scored seven of his eight first-class centuries including a score of 124 in a Test match on his home ground at Melbourne in January 1882.

In 1879, Horan began writing a weekly newspaper column that continued until his death 37 years later. He established himself as the first Australian cricket writer who had played the game at the highest level, thus paving the way for many players to enter the media. Bill O'Reilly, the noted Australian player-writer of the twentieth century, described him as, "the cricket writer "par excellence". Horan's documentation of the early years of Australian cricket are the basis for many works on the subject: Gideon Haigh wrote that any, "serious scholar in the field ... should probably acquaint himself with Tom Horan." [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/243943.html Cricinfo: "Tom Horan — Cricket writer par excellence."] Retrieved 22 April 2008.] An anthology of his articles was published for the first time in 1989 when he was posthumously inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for his writing. In part, his citation read, "... it was as the first nationally known cricket writer that he made his major contribution to the game." [ [http://www.sahof.org.au/hallOfFame/memberProfile/index.php?memberID=293&memberType=general Sport Australia Hall of Fame: Member Profile of Tom Horan.] Retrieved 22 April 2008.]

Early years

Born in the town of Midleton near the Irish city of Cork, Horan emigrated to Australia with his parents and siblings as a small child. In Melbourne, he attended Bell Street School in Fitzroy and formed a friendship with Jack Blackham; Blackham encouraged in Horan a love of cricket. Horan made his first-class debut for Victoria in the season of 1874/75.

At age 23, Tom Horan was selected to play in the first Test between Australia and England in March 1877. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. After the fall of the first wicket, that of Nat Thomson, Horan made his way to the wicket. With Charles Bannerman (who would eventually retire hurt on 165), Horan put on 38 runs for the second wicket before he was dismissed for 12. In the second innings, the young batsman made twenty, the highest score in Australia's 104 all out. Australia won the historic match by 45 runs. [http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1870S/1876-77/ENG_IN_AUS/ENG_AUS_T1_15-19MAR1877.html (Scorecard)]

Although he was not selected to play in Second Test of the inaugural Test series, Horan did enjoy a regular place in the Australian Test team into the mid-1880s. His highest Test score of 124 was made in the First Test of the 1881/82 season against England. Horan toured England twice, in 1878 and 1882, but played only one Test in that country, at the Oval in 1882.In 1884, the Australian Test team - minus Horan - demanded a significant pay rise. When organisers refused the request, the team went on strike. With the Second Test against England due to start in Melbourne, selectors were forced to choose an entirely new team. Horan was selected as captain. His team consisted on nine debutants (five of whom never played Tests again). Not surprisingly, Australia lost the Test by 10 wickets. In the following Test, Horan, having being stripped of his captaincy duties, made a significant impact with the ball, returning figures of 6/40 from 37.1 four-ball overs in England's first innings.

He turned his attention to journalism, writing a regular cricket column for the "The Australasian", a weekly published by Melbourne's "Argus" newspaper. He never attached his own name to his writings, preferring to use the pseudonym "Felix". Horan continued contributing to "The Australasian" until his death in 1916.

In 1879, Horan married the daughter of a Melbourne police officer, Kate Pennefather. They had nine children. Two of Horan's sons played first-class cricket for Victoria in the early 1900s.

References

*Perry, Roland (2000). "Captain Australia: A history of the celebrated captains of Australian Test cricket". Sydney. Random House.

Notes

External links

*cricinfo|ref=ci/content/player/5705.html
*" [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/243943.html Tom Horan — Cricket writer par excellence] " from Cricinfo

Persondata
NAME=Horan, Thomas Patrick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Cricketer
DATE OF BIRTH=March 8 1854
PLACE OF BIRTH=Midleton, County Cork, Ireland
DATE OF DEATH=April 16 1916
PLACE OF DEATH=Malvern, Victoria