Danny Kelleher

Wisden Obituary
The cricket world was stunned to hear, in mid-December, that the body of 29-year-old county cricketer Danny Kelleher had been found at his home in Erith, Kent. The coroner said there were no suspicious circumstances.

A tallish and well-built medium-pace bowler, Kelleher, born in Southwark on May 5, 1966, was educated at St Mary's Grammar School, Sidcup and Erith College of Technology, and represented Kent Schools at cricket and rugby. From Dartford CC, he was engaged by Kent in 1985, and made his first-class debut in 1987, taking 6 for 109 (including Martin Crowe) against Somerset at Bath that summer, which remained his career-best analysis. In 1988 he enjoyed himself against the touring West Indians, hitting four sixes and five fours in a 42-ball fifty, having earlier taken Richie Richardson's wicket. And in 1989 he recorded his best first-class score, 53 not out against Derbyshire at Dartford.

However, his form in Championship and one-day matches was not compelling enough, and Kent released him at the end of the 1991 season. He signed a match contract with Surrey, but was released in 1993, having played no first-class matches.

His former Kent team-mate Chris Penn said, after learning of Kelleher's death, that he was `a great competitor' who `didn't have a lot of luck and probably didn't get the chances his talent deserved'.

Daniel John Michael Kelleherwas a nephew of Harry Kelleher, who played for Northants from 1956 to 1958, having played three matches for Surrey in 1955. Danny Kelleher's career figures were 565 runs (15.27) and 77 wickets (32.90) in 34 matches. In The Cricketer's Who's Who he listed his relaxations as watching TV, music, and `watching Richard Davis bat', while his opinion on cricket was that `too much cricket is played'.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack