Mick Harvey (umpire)
Encyclopedia
Clarence Edgar Harvey, (born 17 March 1921 at Newcastle, New South Wales
), is a former first-class cricket
er and Australian Test cricket umpire. He was the brother of Test batsmen Merv
and Neil Harvey
.
Harvey made his first-class debut in 1948–49, playing in the first three matches of the season for Victoria
as an opening batsman
. However, he was unproductive, scoring only 91 runs at a batting average
of 15.16, and was dropped. He moved to Queensland
the following season in search of more opportunities and was selected in one match.
Harvey had his best first-class season in 1950–51, scoring 490 runs at 37.69, including his maiden first-class century
against a full-strength New South Wales
team with several Test bowlers. However, he struggled the following season and was dropped, and did not play a single first-class match in 1952–53. Recalled the following season, he overcame a slow start to score two centuries later in the summer to end with 421 runs at 38.27 for the summer. After a poor season, Harvey was dropped late in the 1955–56 season.
Harvey was dropped after two matches in 1956–57, ending his first-class career. After his playing career was over, Harvey took up umpiring, and made his first-class debut in 1974–75. He became a regular official over the next few seasons and then broke into international umpiring in 1978–79. In that summer, Harvey stood in two One Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Test. The following season he made his final appearances at international level, presiding over another Test and four ODIs. His last season of top-level domestic umpiring was in 1981–82 during which he officiated in two matches. He finished his career having presided over 31 first-class and 13 List A matches.
where he worked for BHP
driving horse-drawn trailers. In 1914, he married Elsie May Bitmead and their first two children, daughter Rita and son Merv
, were born in the mining town. The family relocated to Newcastle
, a mining town and harbour in New South Wales
, where Clarence Edgar Harvey—always known as Mick, as he was born on Saint Patrick’s Day—and Harold were born. In 1926, the Harveys shifted to the inner-Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy
, a staunchly working-class
, industrial area. During their relocation, Ray was born in Sydney
. 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
-descended Horry raised his family as strict Methodists
, disallowing gambling, alcohol
, tobacco
and profanity
in his household. An ardent cricketer, he encouraged his children to play sport. He himself played for the Rita Social Club after moving to Fitzroy.
As recreational facilities and grass ovals were sparse in densely populated Fitzroy, the boys took to playing cricket in a cobblestone
laneway between their terraced house
. Here they played cricket with a tennis ball
, home made cricket bat
and a kerosene
tin for a wicket. They were usually joined by other local children, two of whom became elite sportsmen: Allan Ruthven
(an Australian rules football
er) and Harold Shillinglaw
(both an Australian rules footballer and first-class cricket
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 for every local school to award to the best cricketer in their ranks in that year. The successful student 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
all-rounder
Arthur Liddicut and the club’s veteran captain Joe Plant. The Harveys had no formal coaching, and their father, although 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. 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 baseball for Fitzroy, often competing in matches played as curtain raiser
s to the elite Australian rules football competition, the Victorian Football League
. Saturday night entertainment for the family typically consisted of dinner after the day’s cricket matches for Fitzroy, and Plant, Liddicut and other cricket 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
in particular.
by trade, Harvey first played in the Fitzroy First XI in 1938–39. Mick opened the batting with Merv, and in 1942–43, when Neil broke into the First XI, the family occupied the first four batting positions for the team; Merv and Mick opened and Ray and Neil came in after them. During World War II
, Harvey enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force
at Fitzroy on 4 March 1943 and was a member of the 39th Infantry Battalion and went on to serve in Kokoda
. He was discharged on 29 March 1946 with the rank of private. He resumed cricket with Fitzroy at the war’s end and made enough runs to be selected for Victoria
’s first three Sheffield Shield
matches of the 1948–49 season. Playing as an opening batsman
, he made 10 and 13 on debut against Queensland
, and was trapped leg before wicket
(lbw) in both innings in an eight-wicket win. In the next match against New South Wales
, who boasted Australia’s new ball opening bowlers Ray Lindwall
and Keith Miller
, Harvey made 19 and 33 in a drawn match. In the subsequent match against South Australia
, he made 4 and 12, again being trapped lbw in both innings. The 1948–49 season was purely domestic with no touring Test team, so all of Australia’s international representatives were available for the whole season. Having scored only 91 runs at a batting average
of 15.16, Harvey was dropped from the team. He did not play alongside Ray, who was dropped, and Merv, who had retired. It was Harvey's last season for Fitzroy, and in 90 first-grade matches, he scored 2,601 runs at an average of 30.24.
were the least successful team in the Sheffield Shield, and Harvey moved north to Brisbane the following season to try and get more opportunities to play Sheffield Shield cricket. Harvey joined the Toombul grade club, and made his first-class
debut for Queensland against Victoria late in the season, although none of his brothers played for Victoria in this match; Merv had already retired, Neil was representing Australia, and Ray had been dropped. In his only match for the summer, he scored 1 and 13 and took two catches in each innings as an opener. He was dropped after the match.
In 1950–51, his most prolific first-class season, he hit 490 runs at 37.69 for Queensland. The season started with consecutive matches against a full-strength New South Wales, who had an attack including Lindwall, Miller, Alan Walker
and Alan Davidson
. In the first match, in Brisbane, Harvey made 40 and 19 batting at No. 7 before being dismissed by Davidson and Lindwall respectively. The visitors won by an innings.
In the return match at the Sydney Cricket Ground
, Harvey was promoted to bat at No. 3
. He made 38 in the first innings before being dismissed by Walker. Harvey broke through for his maiden first-class century in the second innings, scoring an unbeaten 100. Queensland declared at 4/237 as soon as he reached his milestone, only to see the hosts reach the victory target of 225 with all ten wickets intact.
Harvey played against an international outfit for the first time in the following match against the touring England cricket team, but made only three in his solitary innings. However, he continued to score consistently, making a half-century in each of the next three matches. From the third of these matches—against South Australia—onwards, he generally opened the batting for Queensland. On his first innings back as an opener, he narrowly missed a century, being dismissed for 95 by Geff Noblet
. However, it was enough for the Queenslanders to take a 162-run first innings lead in a low-scoring match in which only one team surpassed 240 once, and set up an eight-wicket victory, the only time his state won a match for the season. Harvey’s performance tapered away in the last two matches of the season. He made only 0 and 2 in the last match against Victoria, and 48 runs in his last four innings.
Harvey started the 1951–52 season poorly, scoring 9 and 5 against a full-strength New South Wales team. In the following match, he made 90 in the first innings as Queensland defeated the touring West Indies by ten wickets. Harvey was sidelined for six weeks before returning in late December against Victoria. He struggled in this match and the next against New South Wales, scoring 9, 20, 9 and 3. In the next match, he made 46 in the first innings before managing only five in the second, against South Australia. Nor did Queensland have success in these three matches. They were one wicket away from victory in the first match when time ran out, and lost the other two. Harvey was dropped for the remainder of the season, ending with 196 runs at 21.77.
Harvey was overlooked for Queensland selection for the whole 1952–53 season. He was recalled at the start of the 1953–54 campaign and made 26 and 20 in the first match against New South Wales, failing to convert his starts into big scores. He was retained despite making 15 and 0 in the next match against Victoria, but scored only 1 in the first innings of the match against South Australia starting on Christmas Day. Victoria were set 329 for victory, and having made only 62 runs in five innings for the season so far, he was the mainstay of the innings, scoring 102, but his team were all out for 245.
The century saw Harvey retained in the side and started a productive second half of the season. He made 2 and 58 in the next match starting on New Year’s Day, against New South Wales. Harvey then made 84 in the only innings of a drawn match against Victoria, before scoring 111 in an innings win against Western Australia
. It was the first time in over two years that Harvey had played in a victorious Queensland side. He made only 2 in the final match of the season against South Australia to end with 421 runs at 38.27 for the summer.
. In the Christmas match against South Australia, Harvey failed to capitalise on his starts, making 31 and 35 as Queensland won by 34 runs. The following week, he made only 0 and 3 not out in the New Year’s match against New South Wales. He finished the truncated season with only 16 in the following match against Victoria, ending the summer with 242 runs at 30.25.
Harvey had a poor season in 1955–56. He scored only 37 runs in six completed innings in the first three matches. In the next match against Western Australia, he made only 8 in the first innings but scored 70 not out in the second innings as his team’s run-chase petered away to a draw, and he retained his position in the team. He then made 17 and 28 in the next match against South Australia, run out
in the latter innings after making a start. After making 10 and 20 in the next match against New South Wales, he was dropped for the remainder of the season, having made only 190 runs at 17.27 for the season.
Recalled at the start of the 1956–57 season, Harvey made 40 and 28 in his first match of the summer against New South Wales, but after scoring only 2 and 2 not out against Western Australia in the next match, he was dropped for the final time.
Noted for his sound defence
, he was a patient and dogged batsman, in contrast to the exciting styles of brothers Merv, Ray and Neil. According to Neil, Mick had a weakness against spin bowling
. Harvey was a rare bowler during his first-class career. He bowled only five overs in total, delivering one over in five different matches. He never took a wicket. Altogether, he made 1,716 first-class runs (mostly as an opener) in 37 matches at an average
of 27.23. Harvey was also a regular choice for the Queensland
baseball
team during his career. His daughter Pauline Harvey-Short represented Australia at softball
, before becoming a sports administrator. She is a fellow of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and was a founding member of Womensport Queensland in 1993, serving as the chair of the board from 2007 until 2010. Her daughter Kirby Short plays cricket for the Queensland women's team
.
In 1978–79, Harvey’s appointments increased. Harvey stood in all of Queensland's five home Shield matches, as well as their match against the touring Englishmen. He stood in one List A match involving Queensland and was then rewarded with his international debut in the second ODI between Australia and England at the SCG, before presiding over the next ODI at the MCG. At the end of the season, Harvey was selected for the first of his two Tests
. The first, played by Australia against Pakistan at the MCG in March 1979 was dramatic. During the run-chase, the Australians were stunned by a spell of 7 wickets for 1 run by Sarfraz Nawaz
, just when they looked like winning. Sarfraz ended with 9/86—the other wicket was run out—as Australia collapsed from 3/305 to 310 all out to lose by 71 runs. Harvey’s partner was Robin Bailhache
.
Harvey’s other Test match was between Australia and the West Indies at the MCG during the Christmas-New Year period of 1979–80. It was won by the visitors by 10 wickets, with a bowling attack of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
, Colin Croft
, and Joel Garner
proving too powerful for their hosts. Harvey’s colleague was Tony Crafter
. Harvey also stood in four ODIs played during the inaugural World Series Cup
that season, which involved England, Australia and the West Indies. He presided in three of the round-robin matches, the third of which was between the two visiting teams at the Gabba. It was the only time that Harvey umpired a match at his adopted home ground. He later presided over the first match of the finals series, between the West Indies and England at the MCG. This was his sixth and final appointment at ODI level. Harvey also officiated three Shield matches, Queensland’s tour match against England and one of their domestic one-dayers during the season.
The following season, Harvey presided over four of the five home Shield matches, a tour match by India, and a domestic one-dayer, but was overlooked for an international fixture. Harvey’s final fixtures were during the 1981–82 season. He officiated in two matches hosted by Queensland in November, a Shield match and a one-dayer, both against Queensland. Altogether, he umpired 31 first-class and 13 List A matches in his career. He continued to umpire interstate matches at youth level until 1988 and stood in six finals the first grade of Queensland's local competition.
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...
), is a former 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 and Australian Test cricket umpire. He was the brother of Test batsmen 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...
and Neil Harvey
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...
.
Harvey made his first-class debut in 1948–49, playing in the first three matches of the season 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 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...
. However, he was unproductive, scoring only 91 runs at a batting 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 15.16, and was dropped. He 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...
the following season in search of more opportunities and was selected in one match.
Harvey had his best first-class season in 1950–51, scoring 490 runs at 37.69, including his maiden first-class century
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...
against a full-strength 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...
team with several Test bowlers. However, he struggled the following season and was dropped, and did not play a single first-class match in 1952–53. Recalled the following season, he overcame a slow start to score two centuries later in the summer to end with 421 runs at 38.27 for the summer. After a poor season, Harvey was dropped late in the 1955–56 season.
Harvey was dropped after two matches in 1956–57, ending his first-class career. After his playing career was over, Harvey took up umpiring, and made his first-class debut in 1974–75. He became a regular official over the next few seasons and then broke into international umpiring in 1978–79. In that summer, Harvey stood in two One Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Test. The following season he made his final appearances at international level, presiding over another Test and four ODIs. His last season of top-level domestic umpiring was in 1981–82 during which he officiated in two matches. He finished his career having presided over 31 first-class and 13 List A matches.
Early years
Mick's father Horace "Horry" Harvey moved to Broken Hill, New South WalesBroken 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 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...
, 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...
, where Clarence Edgar Harvey—always known as Mick, as he was born on Saint Patrick’s Day—and Harold were born. In 1926, the Harveys shifted to the inner-Melbourne suburb of 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...
, 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
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...
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, he encouraged his children to play sport. He himself played for the Rita Social Club after moving to Fitzroy.
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 for every local school to award to the best cricketer in their ranks in that year. The successful student 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
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...
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, although 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. 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 baseball for Fitzroy, 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 matches for Fitzroy, and Plant, Liddicut and other cricket 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.
World War II and first-class debut
A printerPrinter (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, Harvey first played in the Fitzroy First XI in 1938–39. Mick opened the batting with Merv, and in 1942–43, when Neil broke into the First XI, the family occupied the first four batting positions for the team; Merv and Mick opened and Ray and Neil came in after them. 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...
, Harvey enlisted 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...
at Fitzroy on 4 March 1943 and was a member of the 39th Infantry Battalion and went on to serve in 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 was discharged on 29 March 1946 with the rank of private. He resumed cricket with Fitzroy at the war’s end and made enough runs to be selected 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...
’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. Playing 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...
, he made 10 and 13 on debut against 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...
, and was trapped leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
(lbw) in both innings in an eight-wicket win. In the next match 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...
, who boasted Australia’s new ball opening bowlers 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...
and 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...
, Harvey made 19 and 33 in a drawn match. In the subsequent match 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...
, he made 4 and 12, again being trapped lbw in both innings. The 1948–49 season was purely domestic with no touring Test team, so all of Australia’s international representatives were available for the whole season. Having scored only 91 runs at a batting 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 15.16, Harvey was dropped from the team. He did not play alongside Ray, who was dropped, and Merv, who had retired. It was Harvey's last season for Fitzroy, and in 90 first-grade matches, he scored 2,601 runs at an average of 30.24.
Move to Queensland
At the time, QueenslandQueensland 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...
were the least successful team in the Sheffield Shield, and Harvey moved north to Brisbane the following season to try and get more opportunities to play Sheffield Shield cricket. Harvey joined the Toombul grade club, and made his first-class
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...
debut for Queensland against Victoria late in the season, although none of his brothers played for Victoria in this match; Merv had already retired, Neil was representing Australia, and Ray had been dropped. In his only match for the summer, he scored 1 and 13 and took two catches in each innings as an opener. He was dropped after the match.
In 1950–51, his most prolific first-class season, he hit 490 runs at 37.69 for Queensland. The season started with consecutive matches against a full-strength New South Wales, who had an attack including Lindwall, Miller, Alan Walker
Alan Walker (Australian sportsman)
Alan Keith Walker was an Australian sportsman. He played rugby union for his country, winning five caps, and scored 19 tries on the tour to Britain and France in 1947-48, including a memorable effort against England at Twickenham...
and Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson (cricketer)
Alan Keith Davidson, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer of the 1950s and 1960s. He was an all rounder: a hard-hitting lower-order left-handed batsman, and an outstanding left-arm fast-medium opening bowler...
. In the first match, in Brisbane, Harvey made 40 and 19 batting at No. 7 before being dismissed by Davidson and Lindwall respectively. The visitors won by an innings.
In the return match at the Sydney Cricket Ground
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...
, Harvey was promoted to bat at No. 3
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...
. He made 38 in the first innings before being dismissed by Walker. Harvey broke through for his maiden first-class century in the second innings, scoring an unbeaten 100. Queensland declared at 4/237 as soon as he reached his milestone, only to see the hosts reach the victory target of 225 with all ten wickets intact.
Harvey played against an international outfit for the first time in the following match against the touring England cricket team, but made only three in his solitary innings. However, he continued to score consistently, making a half-century in each of the next three matches. From the third of these matches—against South Australia—onwards, he generally opened the batting for Queensland. On his first innings back as an opener, he narrowly missed a century, being dismissed for 95 by Geff Noblet
Geff Noblet
Geffery Noblet was an Australian cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1950 to 1953....
. However, it was enough for the Queenslanders to take a 162-run first innings lead in a low-scoring match in which only one team surpassed 240 once, and set up an eight-wicket victory, the only time his state won a match for the season. Harvey’s performance tapered away in the last two matches of the season. He made only 0 and 2 in the last match against Victoria, and 48 runs in his last four innings.
Harvey started the 1951–52 season poorly, scoring 9 and 5 against a full-strength New South Wales team. In the following match, he made 90 in the first innings as Queensland defeated the touring West Indies by ten wickets. Harvey was sidelined for six weeks before returning in late December against Victoria. He struggled in this match and the next against New South Wales, scoring 9, 20, 9 and 3. In the next match, he made 46 in the first innings before managing only five in the second, against South Australia. Nor did Queensland have success in these three matches. They were one wicket away from victory in the first match when time ran out, and lost the other two. Harvey was dropped for the remainder of the season, ending with 196 runs at 21.77.
Harvey was overlooked for Queensland selection for the whole 1952–53 season. He was recalled at the start of the 1953–54 campaign and made 26 and 20 in the first match against New South Wales, failing to convert his starts into big scores. He was retained despite making 15 and 0 in the next match against Victoria, but scored only 1 in the first innings of the match against South Australia starting on Christmas Day. Victoria were set 329 for victory, and having made only 62 runs in five innings for the season so far, he was the mainstay of the innings, scoring 102, but his team were all out for 245.
The century saw Harvey retained in the side and started a productive second half of the season. He made 2 and 58 in the next match starting on New Year’s Day, against New South Wales. Harvey then made 84 in the only innings of a drawn match against Victoria, before scoring 111 in an innings win against Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
. It was the first time in over two years that Harvey had played in a victorious Queensland side. He made only 2 in the final match of the season against South Australia to end with 421 runs at 38.27 for the summer.
Decline
Harvey continued his good form at the start of the 1954–55 season, scoring 90 and 9 in the opening match against New South Wales. He then made 49 and 9 against the touring England cricket team of Len HuttonLen 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...
. In the Christmas match against South Australia, Harvey failed to capitalise on his starts, making 31 and 35 as Queensland won by 34 runs. The following week, he made only 0 and 3 not out in the New Year’s match against New South Wales. He finished the truncated season with only 16 in the following match against Victoria, ending the summer with 242 runs at 30.25.
Harvey had a poor season in 1955–56. He scored only 37 runs in six completed innings in the first three matches. In the next match against Western Australia, he made only 8 in the first innings but scored 70 not out in the second innings as his team’s run-chase petered away to a draw, and he retained his position in the team. He then made 17 and 28 in the next match against South Australia, run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
in the latter innings after making a start. After making 10 and 20 in the next match against New South Wales, he was dropped for the remainder of the season, having made only 190 runs at 17.27 for the season.
Recalled at the start of the 1956–57 season, Harvey made 40 and 28 in his first match of the summer against New South Wales, but after scoring only 2 and 2 not out against Western Australia in the next match, he was dropped for the final time.
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. According to Neil, Mick had a weakness against 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...
. Harvey was a rare bowler during his first-class career. He bowled only five overs in total, delivering one over in five different matches. He never took a wicket. 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. Harvey was also 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
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...
team during his career. 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...
, before becoming a sports administrator. She is a fellow of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and was a founding member of Womensport Queensland in 1993, serving as the chair of the board from 2007 until 2010. Her daughter Kirby Short plays cricket for the Queensland women's 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...
.
Umpiring career
After his retirement as a player, Harvey took up umpiring. His initial first-class match was in 1974–75, when he officiated in Queensland’s home match against Victoria late in the season; at the time the host team provided both umpires. The following year, he was selected for four first-class matches, one of which was against the touring West Indies. He also officiated in his first List A match, presiding over the final of Australia's domestic limited-overs tournament, which Queensland hosted against Western Australia. The following two seasons were similar; Harvey stood in four first-class matches including one against a touring international team, and one List A match, both of which were quarter-finals.In 1978–79, Harvey’s appointments increased. Harvey stood in all of Queensland's five home Shield matches, as well as their match against the touring Englishmen. He stood in one List A match involving Queensland and was then rewarded with his international debut in the second ODI between Australia and England at the SCG, before presiding over the next ODI at the MCG. At the end of the season, Harvey was selected for the first of his 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...
. The first, played by Australia against Pakistan at the MCG in March 1979 was dramatic. During the run-chase, the Australians were stunned by a spell of 7 wickets for 1 run by Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz Malik is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician who discovered reverse swing and was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984 he played 55 Tests and 45 One Day Internationals and was Imran Khan's regular new ball...
, just when they looked like winning. Sarfraz ended with 9/86—the other wicket was run out—as Australia collapsed from 3/305 to 310 all out to lose by 71 runs. Harvey’s partner was Robin Bailhache
Robin Bailhache
Robin Carl Bailhache, , is a former Australian Test cricket match umpire.He umpired 27 Test matches between 1974 and 1988. His first match was between Australia and England at Brisbane on 29 November to 4 December 1974, won by Australia by 166 runs with Jeff Thomson taking 9 wickets...
.
Harvey’s other Test match was between Australia and the West Indies at the MCG during the Christmas-New Year period of 1979–80. It was won by the visitors by 10 wickets, with a bowling attack of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...
, Colin Croft
Colin Croft
Colin Everton Hunte Croft is a former West Indian cricketer. He provides expert analysis on the British Broadcasting Corporation's Test Match Special.-Cricket career:...
, and Joel Garner
Joel Garner
Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....
proving too powerful for their hosts. Harvey’s colleague was Tony Crafter
Tony Crafter
Anthony Ronald Crafter, , was an Australian Test cricket match umpire.He umpired 33 Test matches between 1979 and 1992, the highest number by an Australian umpire to that time...
. Harvey also stood in four ODIs played during 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 ...
that season, which involved England, Australia and the West Indies. He presided in three of the round-robin matches, the third of which was between the two visiting teams at the Gabba. It was the only time that Harvey umpired a match at his adopted home ground. He later presided over the first match of the finals series, between the West Indies and England at the MCG. This was his sixth and final appointment at ODI level. Harvey also officiated three Shield matches, Queensland’s tour match against England and one of their domestic one-dayers during the season.
The following season, Harvey presided over four of the five home Shield matches, a tour match by India, and a domestic one-dayer, but was overlooked for an international fixture. Harvey’s final fixtures were during the 1981–82 season. He officiated in two matches hosted by Queensland in November, a Shield match and a one-dayer, both against Queensland. Altogether, he umpired 31 first-class and 13 List A matches in his career. He continued to umpire interstate matches at youth level until 1988 and stood in six finals the first grade of Queensland's local competition.