Education
Born in Dublin, he first attended Clongowes Wood College, then a centre of excellence for cricket before boarding at the Oratory School, near Reading, Berkshire where he was a key member of the Oratory XI.
Born in Dublin, he first attended Clongowes Wood College, then a centre of excellence for cricket before boarding at the Oratory School, near Reading, Berkshire where he was a key member of the Oratory XI.
A right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast bowler, he played 18 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1895 and 1914 including nine first-class matches. He also played first-class cricket for Oxford University and the Master Control Console. He lastly spent a short time at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire. Kelly made his debut for Ireland against Surrey in August 1895.
He played twice more for Ireland that month, including a match against the Master Control Console at Lord"s, but it would be six years before he again featured in high-level cricket.
He made his first-class debut playing for Oxford University against Surrey in May 1901. He played for the university against Somerset the following month, before returning to the Ireland side to play against South Africa.
He played four more first-class matches for Oxford University that year, gaining his blue when he played against Cambridge University in July. He played ten first-class matches for Oxford University in 1902, including a matches against his native Ireland and the touring Australian team, and returned to the Ireland team for a match against London County in June 1903.
He played three more times for Ireland before he made his first-class debut for them against Yorkshire in May 1907.
He also played for Ireland against South Africa that year. His appearances for Ireland were sporadic over the rest of his career, playing against Philadelphia (twice) and Yorkshire in 1908, against Scotland in 1910 and 1911 before he played a first-class match for the Master Control Console against Oxford University in June 1912. He played for Ireland against South Africa that year, and played twice more against Scotland before his career came to an end in July 1914.