Harvey family - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Harvey brothers are six siblings from Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, known primarily for their success in the sport of cricket

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...

between the mid-1930s and the early 1960s. The sons of Horace and Elsie Harvey, in chronological order, they are Merv (1918–1995), "Mick" (b 1921), Harold (b 1923), Ray (b 1926), Neil (b 1928) and Brian (1932–1969). All six were long-serving members of the Fitzroy Cricket Club (now Fitzroy-Doncaster), which played in Melbourne's district cricket

Victorian Premier Cricket

Victorian Premier Cricket is the elite club cricket competition in the state of Victoria, administered by Cricket Victoria. Each club fields four teams of adult players and usually play on weekends and public holidays. Matches are played on turf wickets under limited-time rules, with most results...

competition.

The most notable of the six is Neil

Neil Harvey

Robert Neil Harvey MBE is a former Australian cricketer who represented the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement...

, who represented Australia in 79 Test matches between 1948 and 1963. He was Australia's most prolific batsman during the post-war era, served as vice-captain of Australia in the last five years of his career and regarded by Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...

as the leading fielder in the world during his career. At the time of his retirement, he held the record for the most Test appearances by an Australian and was the country's second-highest run scorer and century-maker

Century (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...

, behind Don Bradman. He was selected in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century and inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This Hall of Fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time....

. He was also an inaugural inductee into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame "recognises the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". A hall of fame, it was launched by the International Cricket Council on 2 January 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers'...

.

The family's eldest son, Merv

Merv Harvey

Mervyn Roye Harvey was a cricketer who played in one Test match for Australia in 1947. His younger brother, Neil, was one of Australia's finest batsmen since the Second World War, and the pair played together for Victoria during the latter part of Merv’s career.Merv Harvey broke into the Victorian...

, played one Test for Australia in 1946–47 after losing his best years to World War II and his grandson Robert Harvey

Robert Harvey (footballer)

Robert Jeffrey Harvey is a former Australian rules football player for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League...

was one of the elite Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

ers of the last twenty years, twice winning the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

's Brownlow Medal

Brownlow Medal

The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

for the best and fairest

Best and Fairest

Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...

player of the season and being voted the Most Valuable Player

Leigh Matthews Trophy

The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...

in the competition by his peers in 1997.

Along with their better-known brothers, Mick

Mick Harvey (umpire)

Clarence Edgar Harvey, , is a former first-class cricketer and Australian Test cricket umpire. He was the brother of Test batsmen Merv and Neil Harvey....

and Ray

Ray Harvey

Raymond Harvey is a former Australian first-class cricketer who played for Victoria in the 1940s and 1950s. He was the brother of Australian Test batsmen Merv and Neil, and first-class cricketer and umpire Mick Harvey...

played first-class cricket for Victoria

Victorian Bushrangers

The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...

, although the former moved to Queensland

Queensland Bulls

The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...

after one season for his native state due to a lack of opportunities. Neither approached the level of success of Neil or Merv and often found themselves dropped, although Ray was a consistent player for Victoria for two seasons in the 1950s and came close to national selection. Mick's daughter Pauline Harvey-Short represented Australia in softball

Softball Australia

Australia's softball history began in 1939 when Gordon Young, Director of Physical Education in NSW, began to promote the game in schools and colleges. In 1942, during World War II, US army sergeant William Duvernet organised softball as a recreation for US nurses stationed in Victoria. Another...

and her daughter Kirby Short plays for the Queensland women's cricket team

Queensland Fire

The Queensland Fire are the women's representative cricket team for Queensland and they compete in the Women's National Cricket League.The Fire has played 104 matches for 36 wins, 1 tie, 4 no results and 63 losses.-External links:*The Homepage of...

. After his playing career ended, Mick became a Test cricket umpire

Umpire (cricket)

In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...

, officiating in two matches. The two other brothers, Brian and Harold, played for Fitzroy

Fitzroy, Victoria

Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...

in in district cricket

Victorian Premier Cricket

. Apart from Harold, all of the brothers represented Victoria at baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

.

While the brothers played together for Fitzroy on a regular basis, they only played first-class cricket together occasionally, mainly due to a lack of form and differences in age. Merv debuted for Victoria before the war, and Neil joined him in 1946–47. Ray followed in subsequent season, and the trio played in two matches together for their state. However, there were no occasions after this when more than two played together in the same match and such occurrences became more sporadic after this as Merv was dropped, while Neil was often away playing for Australia. Mick made his debut in 1948–49 but left Victoria at the end of the season after being unable to hold his position in the team, while Ray often struggled to gain regular selection except when Neil and the other Test players were representing Australia. Ray had a strong end to the 1952–53 season and was selected for all the matches in the following two seasons alongside Neil, but was then dropped.

Early years

Born at Kapunda, South Australia, Horace "Horry" Harvey moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales

Broken Hill, New South Wales

-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...

where he worked for BHP

BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...

driving horse-drawn trailers. In 1914, he married Elsie May Bitmead and their first two children, daughter Rita and son Mervyn, were born in the mining town. The family relocated to Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

, a mining town and harbour in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, and had two more sons, Clarence (always known as Mick, as he was born on Saint Patrick’s Day) and Harold. In 1926, the Harveys shifted to the inner-Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy

Fitzroy, Victoria

, a staunchly working-class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

, industrial area. During their relocation, Ray was born in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. Horace secured a job at the confectionery company Life Savers (Australasia) Ltd, located next door to their house at 198 Argyle Street. The 19th century two-storey house was owned by the firm and was used as lodgings for the workers’ families. It no longer exists, having been demolished to make way for a textile factory. The two youngest sons Neil and Brian were born in Fitzroy.

The Cornish

Cornish people

The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...

-descended Horry raised his family as strict Methodists

Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

, disallowing gambling, alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

, tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

and profanity

Profanity

Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...

in his household. An ardent cricketer during his years in New South Wales

New South Wales

, he was good enough to hit 196 runs during a match in Newcastle, and he encouraged his children to play sport. He himself played for the Rita Social Club after moving to Fitzroy, while his wife kept score. His daughter was also a scorer for the club.

As recreational facilities and grass ovals were sparse in densely populated Fitzroy, the boys took to playing cricket in a cobblestone

Cobblestone

Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...

laneway between their terraced house

Terraced house

In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...

. Here they played cricket with a tennis ball

Tennis ball

A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis,approximately 6.7 cm in diameter. Tennis balls are generally bright green, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties...

, home made cricket bat

Cricket bat

A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....

and a kerosene

Kerosene

Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...

tin for a wicket. They were usually joined by other local children, two of whom became elite sportsmen: Allan Ruthven

Allan Ruthven

Allan Ruthven was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal.- Playing career :...

(an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er) and Harold Shillinglaw

Harold Shillinglaw

Harold Arthur Edward Shillinglaw is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League ....

(both an Australian rules footballer and first-class cricket

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...

er)—the group also played Australian rules football, kicking around rolled up cardboard and newspaper. Much of the batting skill displayed by the Harvey brothers has been attributed to these games played on the unpredictable bounce of the bumpy laneway. The surface also had a V-shaped slope inwards towards the centre of the lane, causing balls to deviate sideways after bouncing. As the laneway meant that the playing area was long and narrow, the young boys also had to learn to play the ball straight in accordance with orthodox cricket technique. The Harveys played another form of cricket in their concreted backyard (using a marble instead of a ball) that sharpened their reflexes, and a miniature bat. All were right-handed batsmen with the exception of Neil.

All of the children attended the nearby George Street State School and, one by one, the brothers joined the Fitzroy Cricket Club as they reached their early teens. The club had a program whereby they gave a medal to local schools to award to their best cricketer in their ranks, who would then be given access to all of the club’s facilities. All of the Harvey brothers were recipients were of this medal. At Fitzroy, they came under the influence of former Victorian

Victorian Bushrangers

all-rounder

All-rounder

An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...

Arthur Liddicut and the club’s veteran captain Joe Plant. The Harveys had no formal coaching, and their father, a regular presence at the club, chose to stay in the background as their respective careers developed. Horace did not advise his sons on how to bat, allowing them to formulate their own style and technique, something that Neil regarded as beneficial. According to the Harvey brothers, it was their mother who was vocal and extroverted, in contrast to their reserved father. The boys who failed to score runs were given kitchen duty, and according to them, their parents never showed favouritism.

During the winter, they played for the Fitzroy Baseball Club, often competing in matches played as curtain raiser

Curtain raiser

*A United States Air Force missile combat competition called Curtain Raiser, held in 1967*Curtain raiser - A short play or entertainment given before the main entertainment or event to fill out the bill or programme....

s to the elite Australian rules football competition, the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. Saturday night entertainment for the family typically consisted of dinner after the day's cricket for Fitzroy, and Plant, Liddicut and other club personnel were often invited. Under the influence of Plant and Liddicut, the boys were taught to adopt an aggressive approach, using fast feet movement to attack spin bowling

Spin bowling

Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...

in particular. In 1942–43, Neil broke into Fitzroy’s First XI, joining his older brothers Merv, Mick and Ray. During that season, the family held down the first four batting positions for Fitzroy; Merv and Mick opened the batting and Ray and Neil came in after them. The four brothers entered the Victorian team in the 1940s; Merv in 1940–41, Neil in 1946–47, and Ray and Mick in successive seasons thereafter.

Neil Harvey

Harvey represented the Australian cricket team

Australian cricket team

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...

between early 1948 and early 1963. He was the vice captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement. An attacking left-handed batsman, sharp fielder and occasional off-spin

Off 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, Harvey was the senior batsman in the Australian team for much of the 1950s and was regarded by Wisden

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...

as the finest fielder of his era. Harvey followed his elder brother Merv

Merv Harvey

in making his Test debut in January 1948 aged 19 and three months. In his second match, he became the youngest Australian to score a Test century, a record that as of July 2010, still stands. He was then part of The Invincibles

The Invincibles (cricket)

The Australian cricket team in England in 1948 was captained by Don Bradman, who was making his fourth and final tour of England. The team is famous for being the first Test match side to play an entire tour of England without losing a match. This feat earned them the nickname of The Invincibles,...

of Don Bradman

Donald Bradman

Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...

who toured England without defeat and were acclaimed as one of the finest teams in history; Harvey was the youngest player in the team and scored a century on his Ashes

The Ashes

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...

debut in the Fourth Test

Fourth Test, 1948 Ashes series

The Fourth Test of the 1948 Ashes series was one of five Tests in a cricket series between Australia and England. The match was played at Headingley Stadium at Leeds from 22 to 27 July with a rest day on 25 July. Australia won the match by seven wickets to take an unassailable 3–0 series lead...

at Headingley

Headingley Stadium

Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....

. The opening period of his Australian career was particularly fruitful, scoring six centuries in his first thirteen Test innings, at the end of which he averaged over 100. As Bradman's team broke up in the 1950s due to retirements, Harvey became Australia's senior batsman, and was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year

Wisden Cricketers of the Year

The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...

in 1954. In 1957 he was passed over for the captaincy and was named as the deputy of Ian Craig

Ian Craig

Ian David Craig is a former Australian Test cricketer who represented Australia in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A slightly built right-handed batsman, Craig holds the record for being the youngest Australian to make a first-class double century, gain Test selection and captain his country...

who had played just six matches as Australia sought to rebuild the team with a youth policy. The following season, Craig had fallen ill, but Harvey moved interstate and Richie Benaud

Richie Benaud

Richard "Richie" Benaud OBE is a former Australian cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....

was promoted to the captaincy ahead of him as Benaud was higher in the New South Wales hierarchy. Harvey continued as vice-captain until the end of his career, and led the team in only one Test. In the Second Test at Lord's

Lord's Cricket Ground

Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...

in 1961 when Benaud was injured, Harvey led the team in the "Battle of the Ridge", a match played on a surface with a visible ridge that caused erratic bounce, grinding out a hard fought victory. When Harvey retired, only Bradman, generally deemed as the finest batsman in history, had scored more runs or centuries for Australia. Harvey was best known for his extravagant footwork and flamboyant strokeplay. In retirement, he became a national selector for twelve years but in recent times is best known for his strident criticism of modern cricket. He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

in 2000, and also selected in the Australian Cricket Board's Test Team of the Century. In 2009, Harvey was one of the 55 inaugural inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

. In 102 First XI matches for Fitzroy, he made 4044 runs at an average of 37.10, the highest average in the family.

Merv Harvey

Described by his younger brother Neil as the "best cricketer of us all", Merv Harvey was an attacking opening batsman, strong on the drive and fond of hooking fast bowling

Fast bowling

Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...

. He graduated to Fitzroy's first XI in 1933–34 and made his first-class

First-class cricket

debut for Victoria against Queensland at the Gabba in 1940–41. In the next match, he made an impression on cricket observers by scoring 70 in an hour at the SCG against New South Wales

New South Wales Blues

The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...

, whose bowling line-up included Bill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)

William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly , often known as Tiger O'Reilly, was an Australian cricketer, rated as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. Following his retirement from playing, he became a well-respected cricket writer and broadcaster.O'Reilly was one of the best spin bowlers to...

. Service in the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

as an airframe fitter during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

severely interrupted his cricket career. After the war, he resumed with Victoria, but faced a lot of competition for a place as an opening batsman in the Australian team. He played his only Test in the 1946—47 Ashes

The Ashes

series at the Adelaide Oval

Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...

, filling in for the injured Sid Barnes

Sid Barnes

Sidney George Barnes was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer, who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the Second World War...

. Scoring 12 and 31, he partnered Arthur Morris

Arthur Morris

Arthur Robert Morris MBE is a former Australian cricketer who played 46 Test matches between 1946 and 1955. An opener, Morris is regarded as one of Australia's greatest left-handed batsmen. He is best known for his key role in Don Bradman's Invincibles side, which made an undefeated tour of...

in a second innings opening stand of 116. After a further two first-class seasons, Harvey retired after being dropped from Victoria's first-choice team. He ended with a record of 1,147 first-class runs at 38.23 in 22 matches. This included three centuries, and he captained Victoria five times, winning one match—the rest were drawn. His career highlight was an innings of 136 in December 1946 against New South Wales, when he hooked a bouncer

Bouncer (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...

from Ray Lindwall

Ray Lindwall

Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE was a cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St...

into the MCG public bar and featured in a partnership

Partnership (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...

of 271 with Keith Miller

Keith Miller

Keith Ross Miller MBE was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. Because of his ability, irreverent manner and good looks he was a crowd favourite...

. His highest score was 163 against South Australia at Adelaide. Harvey continued playing for Fitzroy until 1954–55, and he finished with 6,654 runs at an average of 29.31 in 207 First XI matches for the club.

Robert Harvey

Merv's grandson Robert Harvey made the Victorian Under-19 cricket team, but decided to focus on Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

, becoming one of the most successful players of his generation. He made his AFL debut for St Kilda Football Club in 1988 and played 21 seasons before retiring at the end of 2008 as the most capped current player. A midfielder, he was a member of the All-Australian team eight times and won the Brownlow Medal

Brownlow Medal

twice, in 1997 and 1998, for the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. In addition, he was voted the AFL's MVP

Leigh Matthews Trophy

in 1997 by his peers and also won the Trevor Barker Award

Trevor Barker Award

The Trevor Barker Award is an Australian rules football award for the player voted the St Kilda Football Club Club Champion during the home and away season in the Australian Football League by a voting panel....

for St Kilda's best and fairest four times. He played in one grand final, in 1997, when the Saints lost to the Adelaide Crows

Adelaide Crows

The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....

. His brother Anthony

Anthony Harvey (footballer)

Anthony Harvey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Australian Football League and Norwood in the South Australian National Football League ....

also played for St Kilda and captained Norwood to the 1997 SANFL premiership.

Mick Harvey

A printer

Printer (publisher)

In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...

by trade, Clarence Edgar "Mick" Harvey played in the Fitzroy first XI in 1938–39, then served as an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

man in the Second Australian Imperial Force

Second Australian Imperial Force

The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...

during World War II

World War II

. A veteran of Kokoda

Kokoda Track campaign

The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...

, he resumed with Fitzroy at the war’s end and made enough runs to be selected for Victoria

Victorian Bushrangers

’s first three Sheffield Shield

Pura Cup

The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...

matches of the 1948–49 season. However, he failed to pass 33 in six innings as an opening batsman

Batting order (cricket)

In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...

and was dropped from the team. Moving to Brisbane the following season, Harvey joined the Toombul grade club and made his first-class

First-class cricket

debut for Queensland

Queensland Bulls

. Noted for his sound defence

Batting (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...

, he was a patient and dogged batsman, in contrast to the exciting styles of brothers Merv, Ray and Neil. In 1950–51, he hit 490 runs at an average of 37.69, including 100 not out against New South Wales

New South Wales Blues

The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...

at the SCG

Sydney Cricket Ground

The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...

. However, he struggled the following season and was dropped, and did not play a single first-class match in 1952–53. His only other first-class centuries

Century (cricket)

came in 1953–54: 102 against South Australia

Southern Redbacks

The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...

and 111 against Western Australia

Western Warriors

The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...

. He struggled in the following two summers and could not hold a consistent position in the team, and retired. Altogether, he made 1,716 first-class runs (mostly as an opener) in 37 matches at an average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

of 27.23. A regular choice for the Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

baseball

Baseball

team, Harvey later turned to cricket umpiring

Umpire (cricket)

In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...

. His initial first-class match as an umpire was in 1974–75 and he stood in two Tests

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

from 1979 to 1980 after many players and officials left for the breakaway World Series Cricket

World Series Cricket

World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...

. He also stood in six One Day Internationals including one of the finals of the inaugural World Series Cup

World Series Cup

The World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...

. In all, he officiated in 31 first-class and 13 List A matches. In 90 First XI matches for Fitzroy, Mick Harvey scored 2,601 runs at an average of 30.24. His daughter Pauline Harvey-Short represented Australia at softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, and later became a sports administrator; her daughter Kirby Short plays cricket for the Queensland women's team

Queensland Fire

Ray Harvey

Raymond Harvey played 40 matches for Victoria

Victorian Bushrangers

. He was an attacking and talented batsman, but failed to reach international standards and only managed to hold down a regular position in the Victorian team in two seasons in the 1950s. This failure to match the standards set by his Test-capped brothers was often attributed to a lack of single-mindedness and hunger.

Harvey made his first-class debut in 1947–48, but performed poorly, and did not play a match in the following summer, and for the two subsequent seasons, he played in only three games. In 1951–52 he made five appearances, gaining selection only when Victoria’s Test players were busy representing Australia. The following season, he broke through for his maiden first-class century, having never previously passed 50.

Having broken through at the end of the preceding summer, Harvey played his first full season for Victoria in 1953–54. He scored two centuries and five half-centuries against full-strength teams from other states. He was hailed as the best player outside the Australian Test team, and at the start of the following season, Harvey was included in an Australian XI for a match against the touring England team for a Test trial match. However, rain curtailed the match and turned the playing surface into a sticky wicket

Sticky wicket

Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...

hostile to batting. Harvey made only seven in his solitary innings. He played in all of Victoria’s matches for the season, but his form slumped and he was overlooked for state selection until 1958–59, when he regained his position and made 97 and 86 in consecutive innings. However, the following season, he made only sporadic appearances and was dropped after some low scores. He shone mainly for Fitzroy; his club first-grade records for the most career runs and centuries, and the most runs in a season, still stand. He ended his first-grade career in 1960–61 with 19 centuries and 9,146 runs at an average of 36.15 from 247 matches.

Harold and Brian Harvey

Due to commitments during the war, the fourth of the brothers, Harold Lindsay Harvey was unable to pursue a cricket career. He played mainly Second XI cricket at Fitzroy, but did play in the First XI during the war. A fitter and turner, Harold Harvey enlisted on 19 April 1945 and was discharged on 20 January 1947 with the rank of sergeant. He served with the Second Australian Imperial Force

Second Australian Imperial Force

in Bougainville

Bougainville Province

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as North Solomons, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island , and the province also includes the island of Buka and assorted outlying islands including the Carterets...

in New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

and played 15 First XI matches for Fitzroy from 1942–43 to 1949–50, as a wicketkeeper-batsman, scoring 237 runs at an average of 14.81.

Brian Clifford Harvey, was the tragic member of the family. A Victorian representative at baseball, he was a useful cricketer at club level, spending almost a decade in the Fitzroy First XI until 1961–62. An electrician, he was electrocuted in 1969 at the age of 37 while working for the State Electricity Commission. In 111 First XI matches for Fitzroy, he made 2,503 runs at 21.57.

Between them, the Harvey brothers totalled 25,185 runs in 772 appearances for the Fitzroy Cricket Club. Over time, their numbers in the ranks began to diminish. In 1949–50, Mick moved to Queensland while Harold was dropped from his position in the Fitzroy First XI. Merv retired after 1954–55 and Neil moved to New South Wales after 1956–57. Ray retired from the First XI at the end of 1960–61 and Brian the year after. In 1962–63, the club played their first season for 30 years without a Harvey in the team. At first-class level, the family's contribution is 26,532 in 405 appearances, with 7,964 coming for Victoria.

First-class team-mates

Although the four brothers all played for Victoria, there was not a great deal of overlap in their careers at first-class level, due to a combination of age, interstate moves, international duty and omissions from the team. The most Harveys in one first-class team occurred twice in 1947–48, when Merv, Ray and Neil all played for Victoria in successive Shield matches.

The first time that more than one of the brothers played for Victoria together came in 1946–47, after Neil was selected to play for the state against Tasmania. At the time, a second-string team was used to play Tasmania—who were not in the Sheffield Shield—in two first-class matches, while the strongest team played in the regular interstate competition. Neil struck a century in the second match against Tasmania, and was called into the Victorian team to play against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG, and he played alongside Merv for their state’s three remaining matches of the season. However, the brothers never batted together in these three matches. Merv opened the batting and was always out before Neil came in, usually at No. 6 upon the fall of the fourth wicket. Merv captained at first-class level for the first time in the last match, a draw against South Australia that was severely shortened by rain.

Neil and Merv retained their positions for Victoria’s first two matches of the 1947–48 season, against India and South Australia respectively. Again, Merv was out before Neil came in, so they did not bat together. The brotherly selection pairing was broken up for Victoria’s next match, as Neil was rewarded with selection for an Australian XI for a Test trial match against the Indians, while Merv continued to represent the state. Neil returned to the Victorian team for the match against New South Wales at the SCG the following week, and Ray was selected to make his first-class debut, so three Harveys were in the state team for the first time. Merv opened, while Neil and Ray batted at Nos. 4 and 7 respectively. Victoria batted first and the brothers again did not form any partnerships. Merv opened and made 45 before being dismissed at 2/99, prompting Neil’s entrance to replace him at the crease. Neil then top-scored with 61 before falling at 4/200, and Ray then came in at 5/208 to make 43. Victoria ended with 331 and the Harvey brothers had scored almost half the runs. New South Wales were forced to follow on, and Victoria were set 51 for victory. After the fall of Fred Freer

Fred Freer

Frederick Alfred William Freer was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1946. He was a fast-medium bowler more accuarte than Keith Miller. He was called into the team for the Second Test in Sydney after Ray Lindwall was struck down by chickenpox...

at 1/24, captain Lindsay Hassett

Lindsay Hassett

Arthur Lindsay Hassett MBE was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a...

elevated Ray to No. 3, allowing two Harveys to bat together for the first time at first-class level. Ray and Merv put on an unbeaten partnership of 27 to take Victoria to a nine-wicket win. Merv and Ray ended unbeaten on 12 and 22 respectively.

The trio then proceeded to play together in the next match against Western Australia two weeks later and Merv captained the team as Hassett was away on Test duty. Victoria batted first and Neil came in to join Merv with the score at 2/102, and the pair added 173 together before Neil fell for 94. One run later, Merv was out for 141; later, Ray made only 1. Victoria ended on 370 and Western Australia took a 59-run lead. In the second innings, Merv, Neil and Ray made 6, 41 and 15 respectively, never batting together as the match was drawn after Merv declared the innings at 9/304, setting Western Australia a target of 246 for victory. The hosts reached 5/205 and Victoria avoided defeat.

After this match, Neil was called into the Australian Test team, so only Ray and Merv played in Victoria's next match against New South Wales. Merv—again captaining the side—made a duck and was out before Ray came in, in Victoria's only innings of the match and was not selected for the remainder of the season. After this, Ray and Neil played together for Victoria on two occasions in the second half of the season when the latter did not have a match for Australia. In the first match, against New South Wales, the two batted in partnership for the first time for their state. Ray came in at 5/53 to join Neil and he fell for 9 to leave the score at 6/64 as Victoria collapsed to be all out for 130. In the second innings, Ray joined Neil with the score at 5/266 and the latter fell at 6/292, ending a 26-run partnership. The pair did not bat together in the second match against South Australia as Neil was out before Ray came in on both occasions. The 1947–48 was the most productive for the Harveys as a combination for Victoria until Ray played a full season in 1953–54 together with Neil.

In 1948–49, Ray, who had made only 190 runs at an average of 21.11 in his debut season, was not selected for a single match, while Merv’s only first-class outings were two matches for a second-choice team against Tasmania while the leading players were participating in Shield fixtures at the same time. Mick was selected as an opener for Victoria’s first three Shield matches, and played with Neil in these matches. However, he struggled and made only 91 runs at 15.16 and was then dropped. In six innings, the two brothers batted together only twice, even though they batted in successive batting positions; Mick’s poor form meant that he was usually the first batsman out, bringing his younger brother to the crease. In the first match of the season, against Queensland, Mick was the first wicket to fall on each occasion. In the second match, the brothers shared partnerships. In the first innings, Neil came in at 1/8 and the Harveys put on 39 runs before Merv was out. The second innings proceeded similarly as Neil came in at 1/31 and 40 runs were added before the older Harvey fell. In the third match of the season, Mick was out for 4 and 12 before Neil came in and was subsequently dropped.

In 1949–50, none of the Harveys played together at first-class level; Merv had retired, Mick had moved to Queensland looking for more opportunities, while Neil was in South Africa with the Australian team. Ray and Mick played in one match each for the season, but not against the other. In 1950–51, Ray was selected in two matches for Victoria, both when Neil and the other Test players were competing against England. Both of these were against Tasmania, so he did not meet Mick. However, there were no international fixtures coinciding with Victoria’s two matches with Queensland, and Neil met Mick in both of these matches. In 1951–52, Ray was able to gain selection more regularly for Victoria. All of these came when Neil and the other Test players were playing for Australia; when they available for Victoria, Ray was not selected. Ray played in both of Victoria’s matches against Queensland, for whom Mick played in the first match.

In 1952–53 Ray only managed selection in the last three matches of the season, and played alongside Neil in the last two fixtures, against South Africa and Western Australia. The brothers had previously had little success in partnerships together for Victoria and in the match against South Africa, Neil came in to join Ray—who was playing as an opener—with the score at 2/21. The pair put on 96 runs. The Victorians drew the match and the brothers did not bat together in the second innings. In the match against South Australia, Neil joined his brother at 1/118 and the Harveys again narrowly missed a century partnership, as Ray fell at 2/211 for 121. Later, Neil was out for 95, missing out on another milestone. Mick was not selected for his adopted state in any fixture for the entire season and did not meet his brothers.

In 1953–54, Ray had his most effective season and played in all seven of Victoria’s Shield matches, even though there were no Test matches for the summer, meaning that all the national team members were available for state selection for the whole season. He played the entire season alongside Neil, and the pair encountered Mick in both matches against Queensland. During the summer, Neil typically batted at No. 3, and Ray usually succeeded him. Despite this, they batted together only four times in 13 innings, as Neil was usually out first. Their first partnership came in the first innings of the second match of the season, against New South Wales. It was brief; Ray came in at 2/93 and scored two runs before falling at 3/97. They then batted together on New Year's Day in the first innings of the next match against South Australia. Ray came in to join Neil after the Victorians had slumped to be 2/5, and after twice coming close to century partnerships for their state in the past, the brothers put on 150 before Neil was out for 88 to leave the score at 3/165. Ray went on to make 110. In the following match against Queensland, Ray came in with the score at 2/65 and put on 82 with his brother before he was out for 50. Their only other partnership of the season amounted to 36 runs in the second innings of the return match against New South Wales; Neil was out for 47 as Ray guided the Victorians to their target with five wickets in hand, scoring 106 not out himself. Ray and Neil were also selected for the testimonial match for retiring Australian captain Lindsay Hassett

Lindsay Hassett

. Neil played for Hassett’s XI while Ray was on the opposition team captained by Arthur Morris

Arthur Morris

.

At the start of the 1954–55 season, along with Neil, Ray was called into an Australian XI for a Test trial against Len Hutton

Len Hutton

Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...

’s touring English team, the closest that two Harveys came to playing in a Test for Australia together. Ray did not make an impact in the match, scoring only seven in his solitary innings, and was not selected for Australian duty. He came in at No. 4 after the dismissal of his brother. Ray was selected for all six of Victoria’s matches and played in all of these matches alongside Neil, as the domestic season was shortened and there were no scheduling clashes between the Tests and the domestic matches. Mick also played in all of Queensland’s matches, and three brothers met in their states’ only meeting for the season. Ray and Neil did not bat together in the first match, before adding 24 for the second wicket in the second innings of the following match against England. They did not bat together in the third match of the season, against New South Wales, as Ray, who was batting one position ahead of Neil, was out first in both innings. In the return match that followed, the brothers had brief partnerships of two and ten runs, Ray being dismissed soon after Neil joined him at the crease. These brief stands continued in the first innings of the match against Queensland, as Ray fell after a six-run partnership. In the second innings, the pair narrowly missed out on a century partnerhip. Neil came in at 1/17 to join Ray, who was opening in the match, and they took the score to 1/117 before Neil was out for 66. In the final match of the season against the MCC, Ray was the first wicket to fall in the innings and he did not bat with Neil.

In 1955–56, Ray was overlooked and spent four years out of first-class cricket, and he never played alongside Neil again at first-class level. Neil played in all of Victoria’s matches, and Mick played in Queensland’s first six matches before being dropped for the second and final match against Victoria. In 1956–57, Mick played in two matches for Queensland earlier in the season before being dropped and retiring; neither were against Victoria, so none of the brothers played together in one match.

Ray was recalled to the Victorian team in the latter half of the 1958–59 season. By this time, Neil had moved to New South Wales for employment reasons, and played each other late in the season. The Harvey brothers never played together or against one another again at first-class level. In 1959–60, Neil was in the Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

representing Australia as Ray played his final first-class season before retiring.

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