Lives in Cricket No 28 - Keith Carmody

76 249 for three: but another was the wicketkeeping of Workman, forced to deputise for Sismey whose unravelling chin required more stitches. Before the third day began an acclaimed gesture by Hammond allowed Carmody to don the wicketkeeper’s gloves, ‘in order to prevent the extras from taking too ample a charge of the game – and excellently he did his work,’ reported The Times . 32 He caught Washbrook for 112 and kept the tally of byes to 27 in an England total of 468 for seven declared; unfortunately he didn’t achieve the rarity of a ‘st sub’. At last the two teams had made totals more typical of Test cricket, but the three-day format made a result unlikely, even though the Australians reached a nervous four for 80 before Miller (35) and Stanford (33) took them safely to 140 without further loss. Following a brief trip to Scotland as best man at Stan Sismey’s wedding, Keith had two chances in Lancashire to strengthen his claims for inclusion in the final Victory ‘Test’. Immediately after VJ Day, the official celebration of victory over Japan, on 15 August, he made 18 and 42 at Blackpool, when Hassett’s first- innings 103 – ‘brilliant’, said The Times – was the only consolation for Australian Services in an overwhelming innings and 89 runs defeat in a two-day match. The next day at Old Trafford he made only two, as the RAF defeated the RAAF by 44 runs. Nevertheless he replaced Workman in the Australian side for the ‘Test’ at the same ground on 20 August. Before the start of the final ‘Test’ The Times correspondent mixed enthusiasm for the contest with caution about its status: Whatever may have occurred before in this series of ‘Victory’ matches any game between sides – style them how you may – even remotely representing England and Australia carries with it the sure pattern of great cricket when it is played at Old Trafford. He also couldn’t hide disbelief that the Australians led the series: ‘even their most ardent supporters will agree that, handy side that they are, they have been a shade lucky to claim any advantage over the teams that England has fielded’. 32 In his autobiography Taking the Air published in 1951, Rex Alston, who was a radio commentator at this match, says that Hammond ‘walked into the Australian dressing-room and suggested to Hassett that Carmody’ was ‘something of a wicket-keeper’ and ‘should deputize for Sismey’. Hassett replied that it was contrary to the Laws (specifically the then Law 37) but Hammond said, correctly, that ‘provided the consent of the opposing captain was obtained, there was nothing to prevent the twelfth man from keeping wicket.’ The Victory ‘Tests’ and the Long Road Home