O’Keeffe says no to St Albans

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33965, 4 October 1975, Page 48

O’Keeffe says no to St Albans

Kerry O’Keeffe, the former Australian test legspin bowler and middleorder batsman, has declined an invitation from the St Albans club to play cricket in Christchurch this season. Mr A. G. Jamieson, the club captain of St Albans, contacted O’Keeffe in Sydney last month, a day after he returned from England at the completion of a successful term of Lancashire League cricket.

When O’Keeffe — who also received an offer from Northern Districts — expressed interest, St Albans arranged sponsorship for air travel, transport while in Christchurch, and monetary incentive for performances in club and representative matches. Arrangements were also made for O’Keeffe to maintain his profession as a free-lance sports journalist.

Provision was also made in the St Albans contract for O’Keeffe to carry out coaching courses on a club and provincial basis, and he would have been released to play for Canterbury, for which he would have been eligible after a two-week qualifying period. However, Mr Jamieson received a telegram from O’Keeffe yesterday declining the invitation. He has already resumed playing

for St George in the Sydney inter-district competition. “The major objects in seeking O’Keeffe’s services were to promote schoolboy cricket and to help the club in coaching and other aspects of the game. He would have been a great drawcard for cricket in Canterbury,” Mr Jamieson said. The unfavourable reply from O’Keeffe ended the club’s third bid to obtain a professional player-coach from overseas. Earlier approaches were made to Mike Harris, the Nottinghamshire opening batsman and wicket-keeper, and the England pace bowler, Peter Lever.