5th May 2024  HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY DANIEL

Today would be the 58th birthday of the finest cricketer St Mary’s ever produced.

 Daniel ‘Danny’ Kelleher was born on 5 May 1966 and started at St Mary’s in 1977, after attending Our Lady of the Rosary Primary in Blackfen.
Daniel followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Michael (Mick), who started at St Mary’s in 1968.
Daniel was a fantastic all-round sportsman, a good footballer and a fine rugby union flanker.

 Yet it was cricket at which he excelled and even at St Mary’s it was clear he had the ability to make it professionally. He inspired the St Mary’s U14 side to victory in the Kent Cup in the summer of 1980 with his, at times unplayable, fast-medium bowling and his hard-hitting batting.

 After coming through the ranks at Sidcup cricket club, he moved to Dartford CC which was where he performed brilliantly to earn a full contract with Kent CCC playing alongside the likes of Derek ‘Deadly’ Underwood, Chris Cowdrey and Chris Tavare.

 Daniel spent four seasons at Kent but a combination of injury and loss of form meant he was released in 1991.

 Yet Daniel had much bigger struggles with mental health and alcoholism, neither of which he could overcome.

 All of us who knew him and considered him a friend were devastated when we heard Daniel had taken his life in December 1995 at the age of just 29.

 His sister Janine has always said if anything should come of Daniel’s death we should all speak up if we are struggling with our mental health.

 RIP Daniel (5 May 1966 to 12 December 1995)