Lives in Cricket No 28 - Keith Carmody

109 Achievement and Rejection in Western Australia The newspaper failed to realise that this admirable summary of the coach’s aims and achievement was no longer relevant following a decision the previous April by Frank Boan not to renew his contract. Instead of the £375 per annum he had paid in the first three years Boan offered a donation to the WACA of £100 per annum for three years ‘towards the payment of a coach’. If the WACA re-appointed Carmody as coach he would consider giving him a position ‘in his firm under the same terms as any other shop assistant employed there’. The WACA responded by offering Carmody a two-year contract at £375 per annum, which it increased in June to £500 (including the £100 from Boans), conceding that ‘he was not entirely satisfied’. The WACA’s minutes gave no explanation of Frank Boan’s decision. Perhaps extensive advertising of cricket gear approved by Carmody had failed to expand sales revenue; perhaps not enough free-spending parents had accompanied young players drawn to the coaching sessions on his premises; or maybe Keith’s extended absences on excursions to the country had annoyed Boan. It’s clear, however, that the WACA itself couldn’t afford to pay all of Carmody’s original £750. It responded to the resignation by considering Colin McCool as a replacement. The leg-spinning Queensland allrounder was interested ‘if suitable employment could be found’: it couldn’t, so the WACA turned to the experienced 50-year-old former New Zealand Test player, Ted Badcock. After marrying a West Australian and settling in Perth in May 1949, Badcock – who’d played with Keith in England – had a good reputation both as player and coach. He assumed a similar off-field role to Carmody, coaching schoolboys and colts and supervising practices by the State squad. It’s impossible to know, but enticing to wonder, whether Keith had seen him as a threat. Badcock had arrived hoping to do some coaching ‘without in any way interfering with Keith Carmody or poaching on his preserves.’ But that published promise in The West Australian is no more conclusive than the WACA’s public statement that it was ‘entirely satisfied’ with Badcock’s first season’s work and ‘had pleasure in re-appointing him for the 1952/53 season’. It had already twice privately reprimanded him for ‘making a number of comments concerning the performance of the State players and their Captain’, who was of course still Keith Carmody. In the years ahead Badcock’s requests for three- year appointments were regularly rejected.