Kerry O’Keeffe’s celebrity status as “Skull”, the Australian leg-spinner turned radio commentator, does not always do justice to his amazing teenage bowling performances for St George.
By the time he turned 20, Kerry would have 200 first grade wickets if playing for NSW had not caused him to miss so many grade games. In his first season of first grade, 1966-67, when he was 16 turning 17, he took 33 wickets at 18. Everyone was amazed, including the legendary Neil Harvey who faced Kerry’s first over in first grade, and after play he told Captain Warren Saunders he found it hard to believe a 16 year old could bowl leg spin that well. In the following two seasons, he took 65 and 74 wickets, including 5-29 in the 68-69 final. Then in limited appearances over the next two tears of the premiership hat-trick, he took 30 wickets in each at an average of 12, and also 29 at 16 in the last season of the Saunders era.
Yes, many teenage batsman do well in Sydney grade cricket, and occasionally pace bowlers but teenage leg spinners? Kerry was indeed a prodigy. Statisticians at Cricket NSW can find no other bowler – pace or spin – who has taken so many wickets by the age of 20.
