Neil Doak
Encyclopedia
Neil George Doak is an Irish former cricket
er and rugby union
player.
bowler, he made his debut for the Ireland cricket team in June 1993, playing against Scotland in a first-class
match. He went on to play for Ireland on 32 occasions, his last match coming against Zimbabwe in June 2000, though this was more than three years after his previous appearance in the third place play-off of the 1997 ICC Trophy
against Scotland.
Of his matches for Ireland, two were first-class matches against Scotland, and three had List A status. In all matches for Ireland, he scored 479 runs at an average of 26.61, his highest score being 84 not out
against Surrey
in a Benson & Hedges Cup
match on 14 May 1996, an innings for which he won the man of the match
award, despite finishing on the losing side. He took 31 wickets, at an average of 21.84, with his best bowling figures being four wickets for nine runs against Gibraltar in the 1996 European Championship
and against Israel in the 1997 ICC Trophy
.Scorecard of Ireland v Israel from the 1997 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive
He played for Ireland in three international tournaments; the 1994 ICC Trophy
, the 1996 European Championship, during which he won a man of the match award for a performance against Denmark where he took 4/44 and scored 51 not out, and the 1997 ICC Trophy, during which he won a man of the match award for the above mentioned performance against Israel.
, Ballymena RFC
, Malone RFC
and Belfast Harlequins
, also representing Ulster
. He was in the Ireland
squad for the 2003 World Cup
and was named as a substitute for a match against Fiji
in 1995, but never actually played a game for the Ireland side. Had he played for the Ireland team, he would have become the first Irish dual cricket/rugby union international since Raymond Hunter
in the 1960s. He played 76 times for Ulster, before retiring from representative Rugby in April 2005.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player.
Cricket
A right-handed batsman and off spinOff spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler, he made his debut for the Ireland cricket team in June 1993, playing against Scotland in a first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match. He went on to play for Ireland on 32 occasions, his last match coming against Zimbabwe in June 2000, though this was more than three years after his previous appearance in the third place play-off of the 1997 ICC Trophy
1997 ICC Trophy
The Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March/April 1997. It was the qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Kenya and for the first time Bangladesh and Scotland all Qualified.-First round:...
against Scotland.
Of his matches for Ireland, two were first-class matches against Scotland, and three had List A status. In all matches for Ireland, he scored 479 runs at an average of 26.61, his highest score being 84 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in a Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
match on 14 May 1996, an innings for which he won the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award, despite finishing on the losing side. He took 31 wickets, at an average of 21.84, with his best bowling figures being four wickets for nine runs against Gibraltar in the 1996 European Championship
European Cricket Championship
The European Cricket Championship is a group of various tournaments in which national cricket sides throughout Europe compete. The tournament is designed to encourage and develop the best players in countries where cricket is not a major sport and Europe's only Test cricket playing country,...
and against Israel in the 1997 ICC Trophy
1997 ICC Trophy
The Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March/April 1997. It was the qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Kenya and for the first time Bangladesh and Scotland all Qualified.-First round:...
.Scorecard of Ireland v Israel from the 1997 ICC Trophy at Cricket Archive
He played for Ireland in three international tournaments; the 1994 ICC Trophy
1994 ICC Trophy
The ABN-AMRO 1994 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament that took place in Kenya in February/March 1994. It was the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The UAE defeated the host nation Kenya in the final and the Netherlands finished 3rd with all 3 sides qualifing for their first...
, the 1996 European Championship, during which he won a man of the match award for a performance against Denmark where he took 4/44 and scored 51 not out, and the 1997 ICC Trophy, during which he won a man of the match award for the above mentioned performance against Israel.
Rugby Union
Doak also played Rugby Union to a high level. He played for four Irish clubs; North of Ireland FCNorth of Ireland FC
North of Ireland Football Club is a former Irish rugby union club that was based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was the first rugby club formed in what is now Northern Ireland and only two other clubs - Dublin University and Wanderers - were formed earlier anywhere else in all Ireland . It was...
, Ballymena RFC
Ballymena RFC
Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields six adult teams and an under-20 team. In youth rugby there are under-18, under-16 and under-14 teams...
, Malone RFC
Malone RFC
Malone RFC is a rugby union club based in Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It is currently in the Second Division of the All-Ireland League. The club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby Football Union...
and Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and squash...
, also representing Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
. He was in the Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
squad for the 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup squads
This article lists the official squads for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.=Head Coach: / Eddie Jones# Matt Burke# Chris Latham# Matt Giteau# Nathan Grey# Stirling Mortlock# Mat Rogers# Morgan Turinui# Joe Roff# Wendell Sailor# Lote Tuqiri...
and was named as a substitute for a match against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
in 1995, but never actually played a game for the Ireland side. Had he played for the Ireland team, he would have become the first Irish dual cricket/rugby union international since Raymond Hunter
Raymond Hunter
William Raymond Hunter is an Irish former cricketer and rugby union player.-Cricket:A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, he played 28 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1957 and 1967 including eleven first-class matches.-Playing career:Hunter made his debut for Ireland...
in the 1960s. He played 76 times for Ulster, before retiring from representative Rugby in April 2005.
See also
- List of Irish cricket and rugby union players