Mick Harvey

Clarence Edgar "Mick" Harvey (17 March 1921 – 6 October 2016) was a first-class cricketer and Australian Test cricket umpire. He was the brother of Test batsmen Merv and Neil Harvey. He was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and died in Brisbane, Queensland.

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 scored 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.

He 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 regularly umpired in first-class matches 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 Wales, 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. Here they played cricket with a tennis ball, home made cricket bat and a kerosene tin for a wicket. 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. 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.

World War II and first-class debut A printer 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 after the war's end and made enough runs to be selected for Victoria's first three Sheffield Shield matches of the 1948–49 season. 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.

Move to Queensland At the time, Queensland were the least successful team in the Sheffield Shield, and Harvey moved north to Brisbane the following season to try to get more opportunities to play Sheffield Shield cricket. He was dropped after the match. The visitors won by an innings. 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 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. 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.

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 the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket 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 Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

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 the hosts. Harvey's on-field colleague in the match 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.