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Edward Liddle's International Profiles
Paul David Moore
  • Born 10 June 1961 Bangor Co Down
  • Educated Sullivan Upper School, Holywood, Co Down
  • Occupation Architect
  • Debut 20 June 1992 v Scotland at Broughty Ferry
  • Cap Number 584
  • Style Right hand batsman, wicket keeper
  • Teams Holywood, North Down

Paul Moore, always instantly recognisable from his prominent moustache, was a neat and efficient wicket keeper who was, perhaps unlucky, to win only two Irish caps. However he played in an era when Ireland was well served by quality glovemen and his opportunities were thus limited. At club and interprovincial level, however, he lost little in comparison with any of his contemporaries. Developing his skills for the game at Sullivan Upper School and then for a decade with Holywood, where he made 24 dismissals in the 1985 season and passed 300 runs for the season in 1990, his farewell season with the club, he joined North Down in 1991 and soon established himself as one of the best keepers on the NCU circuit.

He won the Dai Jones Cup for the Union's leading wicket keeper in successive years 1993 when he dismissed 28 batsmen, catching 19 and stumping 9 and 1994 when he claimed 45 victims with 33 caught and 12 stumped. A third season is also worthy of note, though he did not retain the trophy. This was 1995 when he sent back 32 batsmen, 24 caught and 8 stumped. Such high class keeping helped the Comber side to several successful seasons in the early 90s. One NCU Cup Final, the high scoring match with Woodvale in 1991, was won by 7 runs, with Paul allowing only three byes in the first innings and none in the second, one lost heavily to Waringstown in 1993, and one, the epic with Lisburn in, finished in a tie.

Paul's contribution to the last of these was highly significant, though not generally commented on in accounts of the match. He allowed no byes in either innings, improving even on his performance of three years earlier.

Representative honours were not slow in coming. He played 10 matches for Ulster Town between 1991 and 1994 making 11 dismissals 2 of which were stumpings. His most successful match was against North Leinster in his first season in the side, when he sent back the top three batsmen in the order.

His debut for Ireland came in a high scoring draw with Scotland at Broughty Ferry in 1992. He held one catch in the hosts' first innings, taking an edge from left hander John Everett off Charlie McCrum's medium pace as Scotland posted 390-6 before declaring. Batting at 11 he was left in some suspense in the second innings, as Ireland set 324 in 88 overs ran into trouble after a brilliant hundred from Alan Lewis had suggested they were on course for a remarkable victory. The eighth wicket fell at 272, but Paul McCrum stayed with Lewis, and the keeper was not called upon to see out the last overs of the match.

Paul's other match for Ireland came against MCC at Castle Avenue in 1994, after work commitments forced Bangor gloveman Brian Miller to withdraw. He kept in his customary efficient manner catching former England batsman Paul Parker off namesake Eddie Moore for 5 in the early stages of the visitors' first innings of 331, during which he allowed only 3 byes. However his main contribution in the match came with the bat. Ireland's first innings began well but the batting foundered after a century opening partnership between Stephen Warke and Michael Rea. Of the later batsmen only Uel Graham looked at home and, despite a useful knock from Eddie Moore, the hosts looked like conceding a big first innings advantage when Paul came in. He helped Uel add 41 for the 9th wicket, just reaching double figures. MCC still led by 81 but it might have been far more. As it was Ireland never really recovered, leaving MCC to record their first win in Ireland since 1974. Paul, incidentally, was undefeated on 1 in the second innings.