Alan Ashcroft: Waterloo, England & British & Irish Lions

The picture below shows Alan Ashcroft in his England RFC jersey. He represented England 8 times, and was also selected for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in 1959 as flanker, when they defeated the Wallabies in Brisbane. In the team that day was Irish wingman Tony O'Reilly, who bagged 2 tries in the 17-6 victory.

Historic Pender-Murphy Sporting Connection

This photograph is amazing, both from a sporting context as well as a family one.
Michael Murphy, of the 15 Murphy children, attended St. Mary's Grammar School in Crosby. He captained the school's first XV Rugby tean, then after leaving school played for St. Mary's Old Boys.
His prodigious rugby talents were soon noticed by Waterloo RFC who quickly signed him up, together with Mick's old school-mate, Mick Collins. In the photograph we see Mick Murphy in the back row, and Mick Collins in the front. But also in the front row is A. Ashcroft, an England International, and also a British Lions player.
Alan Ashcroft is the daughter of Maggie Ashcroft (née Pender), who was the daughter of Tom Pender,  the brother of our grandmother, Mary Pender (Da's wife). If you look at an earlier blog posting, sent  in by Duncan, (great grandson of Tom Pender), you'll see a picture of Alan as a young boy, with brothers Wally (Duncan's father) Dougie, and mother Maggie.
A big thank you to Mick Murphy and son Michael, who dug out this treasured photograph from Mick's sporting archives!

Thomas Pender and Family Connections

From Des Herlihy:
I spent a couple of hours today in Liverpool with Duncan Ashcroft and his wife Sue.   Duncan is a Pender and has done a lot of research into the Penders and also the Murphys.  Our grandfather, Michael Murphy, married Mary Pender in Liverpool.  At their wedding, Da's sister, Katherine met one of Mary's brothers, Robert Pender.  They ended up getting married and had two children, Mary and James.  Us Herlihys knew Mary and Jimmy well growing up in New York.  Da's wife, Mary had another brother, Thomas.  His photograph has been in the reunion exhibition and is shown here.  This makes him our great uncle.  He was a merchant seaman for 40 years out of Liverpool.  Our connection to the Penders is therefore a strong one which would explain the regard and fondness our parents had for the Penders.  Older cousins would know Tommy Pender who would have been their age.  Duncan did not know which Pender was his father.  There was a Joseph Pender who was another of Mary's brothers so maybe that is his father.  Robert Pender's death is recorded as a maritime death in 1919 on the vessel Otaki.  His and Kate's children, Mary and Jimmy, were taken by our great grandmother, Susan Murphy, to live in Mullaghbawn while Kate worked on Cunard ships.  They joined her in New York in 1927.