John Harvey

Who was John Harvey?

John Frank Harvey was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for MCC from 1961 to 1967 and for Derbyshire from 1963 to 1972.

Harvey was born at Barnwell, Cambridgeshire. He started his first-class career playing one game for Marylebone Cricket Club against Scotland in 1961. In 1962 he umpired two matches for MCC. He was picked up by Derbyshire in 1963 season and, after three matches, made his debut in that year's County Championship against Somerset. He scored a century against Kent in his second Championship match. Though his average fluctuated over following seasons, he continued to perform well throughout the mid-1960s. In the 1966 season he was the only Derbyshire player to score a century in the Championship, and in the 1967 season he scored his best season average. One fine innings was at Chesterfield in the 1968 season when he scored 92 as Derbyshire lost by only eight runs to the touring Australians.

With one season out of the game during his eleven-year spell, Harvey saw the team through some tough times, heading the opening order on his peak form, but happy to perform in the middle order when his form was suffering.