The Harvey brothers are six siblings from Victoria, Australia, known primarily for their success in the sport of cricket between the mid-1930s and the early 1960s. The sons of Horace and Elsie Harvey, in chronological order, they are Merv (1918–1995), Clarence (aka "Mick"); 1921–2016), Harold (b. 1923), Ray (1926-2011), 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 competition.
Neil Harvey 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 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, 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. He was an inaugural inductee into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The family's eldest son, Merv, played one Test for Australia in 1946–47 after losing his best years to World War II and his grandson Robert Harvey was one of the elite Australian rules footballers of the last twenty years, twice winning the Australian Football League's Brownlow Medal for the best and fairest player of the season and being voted the Most Valuable Player in the competition by his peers in 1997.
Along with their better-known brothers, Mick and Ray played first-class cricket for Victoria, although the former moved to Queensland 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 and her daughter, Kirby Short, plays for the Queensland women's cricket team. After his playing career ended, Mick became a Test cricket umpire, officiating in two matches. The two other brothers, Brian and Harold, played for Fitzroy in district cricket. Apart from Harold, all of the brothers represented Victoria at baseball.
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 where he worked for BHP, driving horse-drawn trailers.Coleman, p. 552. 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, a mining town and harbour in 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, a staunchly working-class, industrial area. During their relocation, Ray was born in Sydney. Horace secured a job at the confectionery company Life Savers, 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 during his years in New South Wales, he was good enough to hit 196 runs during a match in Newcastle, and encouraged his children to play sport. He played for the Rita Social Club after moving to Fitzroy, while his wife kept score.Coleman, p. 553. 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 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 footballer) and Harold Shillinglaw (both an Australian rules footballer and first-class cricketer)—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.Coleman, p. 551.
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.Coleman, p. 553. 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 the siblings 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. The Harvey brothers were all recipients of the medal.Harvey, pp. 25-27. 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, a regular presence at the club, chose to stay in the background as their respective careers developed.Coleman, pp. 554-556. Horace did not advise his sons on how to bat, allowing them to formulate their own style and technique, something Neil later regarded as beneficial.Harvey, p. 29. 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 raisers 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 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 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.Harvey, pp. 30-31. 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 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 bowler, Harvey was the senior batsman in the Australian team for much of the 1950s and was regarded by Wisden as the finest fielder of his era. Harvey followed his elder brother Merv 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 of Don Bradman 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 debut in the Fourth Test at Headingley. 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 in 1954. In 1957 he was passed over for the captaincy and was named as the deputy of Ian Craig 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 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 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 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. In 102 First XI matches for Fitzroy, he made 4,044 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 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.