Barney O'Shaughnessy

Barney O'Shaughnessy (28 February 1912 – 27 May 2007) was an Australian cricketer who played a single first-class match for Western Australia. Born in the isolated Mid-West town of Wiluna, Western Australia, where his family managed a hotel, O'Shaughnessy was sent to Perth for schooling, attending Christian Brothers' College as a boarder. Playing as a fast bowler and attacking batsman, he played cricket for the school in the Darlot Cup, and also captained the school's football team in 1931, his final year at the school.^[1] In one match, against Scotch College in November 1931, O'Shaughnessy scored a century, 100 runs exactly, from 65 minutes of batting, including seven sixes and nine fours.^[2]

O'Shaughnessy's single match for Western Australia was against the Marylebone Cricket Club on their 1932–33 tour of Australia.^[3] In the match, held at the WACA Ground in late October 1932, he opened Western Australia's bowling alongside Ron Halcombe in both innings, taking 0/50 in the first and 1/31 in the second innings. His only wicket was that of Leslie Ames, who he bowled for 19 runs.^[4] He batted at number ten in Western Australia's only innings, and scored a duck.^[5] O'Shaughnessy returned to Wiluna in 1933 to take over the Club Hotel, which his family had previously run.^[6] During the Second World War, O'Shaughnessy enlisted in the Australian Army, along with several other sportsmen from Western Australia.^[7] He served as a private in the 2/1 Guard Regiment, and was discharged in November 1944.^[8] O'Shaughnessy eventually retired to Perth, dying in Nedlands in May 2007, at the age of 95.^[4]

References