Irish Cricket Archives masthead
Edward Liddle's International Profiles
Thomas Ivoy Considine
  • Born 8 June 1868 Dublin
  • Died 4 May 1935 Dublin
  • Educated Clongowes Wood College; Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
  • Occupation Doctor Chief Inspector of Lunacy in Ireland later Governor of Dundrum
  • Debut 17 September 1892 v All New York at Staten Island CC, New York
  • Cap Number 220
  • Style Right-hand bat, slow right arm bowler
  • Teams Phoenix, Munster

Tom Considine came from a Co Limerick landowning family, two of whose members, half brother Heffernan, twenty two years his senior, and elder brother St John, had preceded him into the Irish side. Tom was a somewhat ordinary player, a useful middle order batsman and occasional slow bowler. His only matches for Ireland were on the North American tour of 1892 though he continued to play for Phoenix for a decade afterwards. He possibly owed his selection for the tour to having been a contemporary of Jack Meldon, the tour captain, at Clongowes. Tom was in the XI there at a vintage time for cricket on the College's highly reputed ground, but is not remembered as an outstanding member of a side which included players such as Bill Harrington, Tom Ross and Dan Comyn as well as Meldon. However when the team for the transatlantic visit was selected, no fewer than nine players, including some who were irreplaceable, had to decline the invitation. Thus Meldon had reason to call upon his old classmate.

To say that the voyage out was hazardous would be to put it mildly. The team's main strike bowler Clem Johnson, later to play one - unsuccessful - Test for South Africa, narrowly escaped with his life and several others were badly affected finding it hard to regain their land legs. It would be charitable to assume that Tom was among these for he was an almost total failure. In all matches on tour, including odds games for which no caps were awarded, he managed only 64 runs with a highest score of 18, ironically made against the strongest opposition, Philadelphia.

He began as, unfortunately he continued, with a double failure in two odds matches in Boston, though he did lose his wicket to two quality English born bowlers, "Ike" Chambers and Ralph Cracknell. Their styles have not come down to us but the following year, when the Australians homeward bound from England, played at Boston, they shared the wickets hustling the tourists out for 75.

Left out of the side for the first cap match v Canada, Tom made his debut against All New York at Staten Island. Ireland won by 4 wickets but Tom, though he took the wicket of the hosts' captain fast bowler JL Pool, was out for 0 to WM Thomson, another English born player. He made 18 at No 10 in the first innings of the opening Philadelphia match which Ireland won with some ease. Thereafter he made little impact. His next highest score was 9 in the second match. He was to finish with an international career record of 44 runs at 7.33. Pool remained his solitary wicket. He did come up against some formidable bowlers. Bart King was not the great bowler he became, but was even then high quality opponent as were the left armer EW Clark and "Parson" Baily, a medium pacer who broke the ball both ways. Nevertheless Tom must be accounted one of the major disappointments of the tour and Ireland's selectors can hardly be accused of myopia in not picking him again.

He continued to play for Phoenix for some years, making a useful 29 at 7 in a 10 wicket win over Eton Ramblers in 1896. He was caught and bowled by Ronald Mitchell, son of Eton's long serving master in charge of cricket RAH Mitchell, a stalwart of earlier I Zingari visits to Ireland . The last major match in which there is a record of Tom taking part was for Na Shuler v I Zingari at the Vice Regal Ground in late August 1899. This was an interesting fixture because it came immediately after IZ had overwhelmed an Irish side badly weakened by a selection dispute which had seen the Phoenix contingent withdraw from the national side. Several of them were on view for the Shulers, including Dan Comyn who blasted 98 out of 167, being particularly severe on BJT Bosanquet, the chief destroyer of Ireland. The inventor of the googly was then a pace bowler. He still took 5 wickets, including that of Tom, highly placed at 3, for a duck. He had no chance to redeem himself as the hosts won by 10 wickets.

His medical career was highly successful as the important posts he held reveal.