Lives in Cricket No 28 - Keith Carmody

73 On the eve of the second Victory ‘Test’, at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, on 23, 25 and 26 June, E.M.Wellings reported in the London Evening News that Carmody had ‘quickly found his batting form’. But his selection, after those two innings in the 20s, was as much recognition of past achievement as current form, given that he was replacing Ross Stanford. In his only innings in the first ‘Test’ Stanford had joined Miller (105) in a stand of 99 in 90 minutes before being brilliantly stumped down the leg side by Billy Griffith for 49. Stanford remembered it as ‘one of the best innings I played’, according to Mark Rowe, but agreed to make way for Carmody. It’s most likely that his fellow selectors were anxious to include him for sentimental reasons, but just possible they were influenced by the arrival of the Mosman club’s Flight-Lieutenant Keith Johnson, who’d written to Keith in Stalag Luft III. A member of the Australian Cricket Board of Control, Johnson arrived in London early in June as a welfare officer of the RAAF. Soon, pointed out Sismey, Perce Cochrane’s ‘wider field of activities than cricket’ saw Johnson taking over and ultimately becoming manager of the Services team. In the sixth over of the Sheffield ‘Test’ a ball flew from Hutton’s pads to split open Sismey’s chin. ‘Under difficult conditions,’ said The Times , ‘Keith Carmody kept wickets really splendidly after Sismey had been injured. Not only did he take the faster bowlers well, standing back, but he was certain to the spin bowling of Pepper.’ This was no easy task when Pepper was making the ball turn and kick on a dampish wicket. But even more impressive was a magnificent century by Hammond (exactly 100) that enabled England to reach 286 all out. Carmody, ‘only recently liberated by the Russians, won admiration for style and ability’ in making his 42, the highest score in Australia’s 147-run reply. England’s second innings began with memorable ferocity from Miller. When he hit Hutton painfully on the forearm there was inevitable uproar from a 30,000-strong Bramall Lane crowd. But Miller was playing fairly as well as hard. A ‘smart return from Carmody’ during a very slow single after the assault on the Yorkshireman’s famously reconstructed forearm meant a valuable wicket was there for the taking but, said the press, ‘Miller made no effort to run out Hutton, who obviously was in pain’: instead he rubbed Hutton’s arm. There was no need for renewed chivalry when Miller struck Washbrook on the foot and head: the Lancastrian was too dazed to attempt a run and soon snicked another Miller delivery to Sismey. An England total The Victory ‘Tests’ and the Long Road Home