Barlow Carkeek
Encyclopedia
William "Barlow" Carkeek (born 17 October 1878, at Walhalla, Victoria
, and died 20 February 1937, at Prahran, Victoria
) was an Australia
n sportsman who notably played Test cricket
for Australia
and first-class cricket
for Victoria
, as well as playing Australian rules football
in the VFL
for Essendon
.
, the notoriously defensive opening batsman for both England
and Lancashire
.
He played for Victoria for 10 years from 1903-04, and was rated as steady rather than spectacular.
He toured England in 1909 as the second wicketkeeper to Sammy Carter
and came back in 1912 as first choice on the tour that was blighted by the dispute between Australia's leading Test players and the Australian Board of Control
.
It was on this tour that he played his six Test matches
, three each against England and South Africa
in the Triangular Tournament
. He scored only 16 runs and took just six catches.
games, scoring 8 goals, for Essendon
in the Victorian Football League
from 1903-1905.
He also played for the (then) Victorian Football Association side Richmond Football Club
both before and after his stint with Essendon. He left Essendon after the fourth home-and-away match of the 1905 VFL season; he returned to Richmond, and played in the 1905 Richmond winning VFA Grand Final Team.
Walhalla, Victoria
Walhalla is a small town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in early 1863 and at its peak home to around 2,500 residents. Today, the town has a population of fewer than 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of houses owned as holiday properties. It...
, and died 20 February 1937, at Prahran, Victoria
Prahran, Victoria
Prahran , also known colloquially as "Pran", is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Prahran had a population of 10,651. It is a part of Melbourne with...
) was an 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...
n sportsman who notably played Test cricket
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...
for Australia
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...
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...
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...
, as well as playing 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...
in the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
for Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
.
"Barlow"
Carkeek, generally known otherwise as "Bill", earned the nickname "Barlow" amongst Australian cricketing community, because his batting style reminded all and sundry of Dick BarlowDick Barlow
Richard Gorton Barlow was a cricketer who played for Lancashire and England...
, the notoriously defensive opening batsman for both England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
and Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
.
Cricket
Principally played as a wicketkeeper, "Barlow" Carkeek was also a stolid, defensive left-hand batsman.He played for Victoria for 10 years from 1903-04, and was rated as steady rather than spectacular.
He toured England in 1909 as the second wicketkeeper to Sammy Carter
Sammy Carter
Hanson Carter was a cricketer who played for Australia and New South Wales.-Career:...
and came back in 1912 as first choice on the tour that was blighted by the dispute between Australia's leading Test players and the Australian Board of Control
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
.
It was on this tour that he played his six Test matches
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...
, three each against England and South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
in the Triangular Tournament
1912 Triangular Tournament
The 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia, England and South Africa, the only Test-playing nations at the time....
. He scored only 16 runs and took just six catches.
Australian Rules football
A blacksmith by trade, Carkeek also played 26 top-class Australian rules footballAustralian 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...
games, scoring 8 goals, for Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in 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...
from 1903-1905.
He also played for the (then) Victorian Football Association side Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
both before and after his stint with Essendon. He left Essendon after the fourth home-and-away match of the 1905 VFL season; he returned to Richmond, and played in the 1905 Richmond winning VFA Grand Final Team.
Place of Burial
Carkeek was buried on 22 February 1937 in the Cheltenham Memorial Park (Wangara Road).External links
- Cricinfo Player Profile: Barlow Carkeek
- AFL Statistics: William Carkeek
- Full Points Footy Biography: William Carkeek
- Brydon Coverdale, "Australia's Winter Allrounders: XI Test Cricketers who played Australian Rules football at the highest level", Cricinfo, 28 May 2007
- Friends of Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Inc.