Leo O'Brien

Leo Patrick Joseph O'Brien (2 July 1907 – 13 March 1997) was an Australian cricketer and sportsman who played in five Test matches between 1932 and 1936. He was born in West Melbourne, Victoria, and later lived in the Melbourne suburb of Mentone. Early life and education O'Brien's parents were Luke Joseph O'Brien, a Victorian Police Inspector, and Katherine Josephine Ryan. He was the eldest of four children, having two brothers and one sister and was a second generation Victorian on his father's side. His grandfather, James O'Brien, was a soldier and policeman. James immigrated, with his two brothers, from Kells, Ireland during the 1850s Victorian Gold Rush period. His Catholic education extended across Xavier College 1914–1919, St. Joseph's CBC North Melbourne 1920 and St Patrick's College, Ballarat. He married Dorothy Gwendoline Rowston in 1940 and settled in Hampton, Victoria. Sporting career O'Brien was a very determined left-handed batsman who played for the Richmond Cricket Club, now known as the Monash Tigers before making his debut for Victoria in the 1929–30 season. During the early 1930s he was a member of the Victorian Sheffield Shield squad along with team members Bill Ponsford and Bill Woodfull.