Carkeek, generally known otherwise as "Bill", earned the nickname "Barlow" among the Australian cricketing community, because his batting style was reminiscent of Dick Barlow, the notoriously defensive opening batsman for England and Lancashire.
Cricket
Principally played as a wicketkeeper, "Barlow" Carkeek was also a stolid, defensive left-hand batsman. He played for Victoria for 10 years from 1903 to 1914, and was rated as steady rather than spectacular.
He toured England in 1909 as the second wicketkeeper to Sammy Carter and returned in 1912 as first choice on the tour that was blighted by the dispute between Australia's leading Test players and the Australian Board of Control and the consequent unavailability of many players. It was on this tour that he played his six Test matches, three each against England and South Africa in the Triangular Tournament. He scored only 16 runs and took just six catches.
He also played for Richmond in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) before and after his stint with Essendon. He left Essendon after the fourth home-and-away match of the 1905 VFL season; he returned to Richmond, and played in the 1905 Richmond winning VFA Grand Final Team.[2]
Death
Carkeek died as the result of the injuries he sustained when he was struck by a motorist when crossing Point Nepean Road, opposite Hurlingham Park in the Melbourne suburb of East Brighton, in heavy rain during a thunderstorm on 20 February 1937.[3] Taken by ambulance to the Alfred Hospital, he died several hours later.[4][5] He was buried on 22 February 1937 in the Cheltenham Memorial Park (Wangara Road).[6]
^He was also a regular member of the Richmond Team that won the VFA Premiership in 1902; however, in 1902, the premiership was simply awarded to the team at the top of the ladder at the end of the season – thus, no "Grand Final" match was played in 1902.
