Harvey Brothers - Merv Harvey

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. He graduated to Fitzroy's first XI in 1933–34 and made his first-class 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, whose bowling line-up included Bill O'Reilly. Service in the Royal Australian Air Force as an airframe fitter during World War II 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 series at the Adelaide Oval, filling in for the injured Sid Barnes. Scoring 12 and 31, he partnered Arthur Morris 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 from Ray Lindwall into the MCG public bar and featured in a partnership of 271 with Keith Miller. 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.