Early life of Keith Miller

Born in the western Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, Keith Miller was the youngest of Leslie (Les Sr) and Edith (Edie) Miller's four children. Miller had two elder brothers and an sister. Gladys was 12 when Miller was born, while Les Jr and Ray were nine and seven respectively.Perry, p. 11.] He was named after the Australian pioneer aviator brothers Ross and Keith Smith, who were in the half-way through their historic flight from England to Australia at the time Miller was born.cite book
last=Pollard
first=Jack
title=Australian Cricket:The Game and the Players
year=1988
publisher=Angus & Robertson
location=Sydney
isbn=0 207 15269 1
pages = pp. 755–759 ] Perry, p. 10.] Miller's two Christian names reflected his Scottish heritage; his father's family originated from the dock area of Edinburgh and Dundee. Miller's paternal grandfather had come to Australia in April 1849. The family lived in a one-level terrace house in Sunshine, which at the time was a separate town of 900 people, eleven kilometres west of Melbourne. The town was dominated by the farm machinery maker H. V. McKay. Miller's father was originally a teacher in Warracknabeal in rural Victoria, before working in Ballarat for McKay until a transfer brought him to Sunshine.

Early schooling

Sunshine offered open fields, and the three Miller boys quickly took a liking to sport in their childhood, playing Australian rules football in winter and cricket in summer. Their father had been a player for Warracknabeal, winning a premiership in the local league in 1900. Les taught the boys to play with a side-on stance and underlined the importance of correct batting technique to his sons. He reminded his sons to use a high leading elbow. The boys were taught to rely on a solid defence and concentration and self-control in the mould of the leading Victorian and Australian Test batsman of the era, Bill Ponsford.Perry, p. 12.] Miller began his schooling in Sunshine, where he quickly became known for his diminutive height, being one of the smallest children in the school. At the age of seven, Miller's family moved to the inner-eastern middle-class Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick, where his parents had purchased a two-storey house with a spacious garden for the children to play sport. By this time his elder brothers had given him the derisive nickname "Weedy". Miller's small size and his age deficit to his brothers meant that he conceded a strength advantage in backyard cricket matches. This forced him to develop his technique rather than rely on power, something that was to hold him in good stead for the future. Whenever Miller managed to dismiss his brothers to earn himself some batting time, he typically played with a straight bat in a watchful manner. Miller and his friends would loiter outside Ponsford's home, just 400 m away, in the hope of catching a glimpse of their hero.Perry, p. 13.] Like Miller in the backyard, Ponsford was known for his powers of concentration, having scored two quadruple centuries in first-class cricket.Perry, p. 14.] Miller often practised for hours by himself, putting a tennis ball inside a stocking before suspending it from a clothes line and hitting it back and forth.

A small child, Miller's major sporting aspiration was to be a jockey; he also played cricket and Australian football. [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/11/1097406502446.html Death of a hero - Cricket - www.smh.com.au ] ] At the age of 12, he played for an under-15 Victorian schoolboys cricket team captained by Merv Harvey, which played in Queensland. At the time, he stood only 150–cm and wielded a sawn-off bat. His shots did not go a long way, but he impressed observers with the manner in which he moved his feet and stroked the ball. Miller's small statue in a contact sport such as football forced him to rely on physical courage, something for which he was known.Perry, p. 16.] However, his lack of growth in childhood made him turn to horseracing. Caulfield Racecourse was just a short way away from the family home and Miller spent many early mornings watching the trainers and jockeys go about their routines. Miller eventually persuaded his father to let him take horseriding lessons. Aside from the glamour of the track, Miller felt that as he appeared destined to be a small person, a successful career as a jockey was more likely than cricket or football.Perry, p. 17.]

Melbourne High School

He went to the local state school before transferring to Melbourne High School, a selective school, at the start of 1934. The school's emphasis on scholastic and sporting excellence and its culture was more in line with that of a private school. Australian Test captain Bill Woodfull was on the teaching staff as Miller's mathematics teacher.cite book
last=Coleman
first=Robert
title=Seasons In the Sun: the Story Of the Victorian Cricket Association
year=1993
publisher=Hargreen Publishing
location=Melbourne
isbn=0 949905 59 3
pages = pp. 473–478 ] Miller was a mediocre student, as he did little study and focused his energy on sport.Perry, p. 18.] In addition to cricket and football, he also played baseball and competed in swimming. This disappointed Woodfull, a disciplined man who invoked the school motto, which meant "Honour the Work" and exhorted his students to work hard as Australia was attempting to emerge from the depths of the Great Depression. Despite being Australia's captain, Woodfull refused to involve himself in coaching the school's cricket teams, feeling that it would intrude on the responsibilities of the sports teachers. Despite this, Woodfull watched the students at cricket training and quickly noticed Miller's skills.Perry, p. 19.] Miller, aged 14 and still under five feet, was selected in the school's First XI. With his pads flapping against his stomach and sporting a sawn-down bat, Miller batted at No. 6 and scored 44 on his senior debut, and although his lack of power was obvious, his control and solidity prompted the spectators to call him "the Unbowlable", the same nickname which was accorded to the similarly strong defensive style of Woodfull. Melbourne went on to win the match.Perry, p. 20.] Miller impressed his captain Keith Truscott, who fought for his selection and took him under his wing. Truscott was later to become an ace fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, and Miller would follow him into to air force as well. Truscott's social influence also compounded the distractions from Miller's study. He failed all eight of his subjects at the end of 1934, with an average mark of 25%, and was the class dunce. He scored zero in his final exam for Woodfull's geometry class.Perry, p. 21.] As a result, Miller was forced to repeat year 9.Perry, p. 22.]

Club cricket

Truscott took Miller to a try out with St Kilda at the start of the 1934–35 season, but Miller could not find a place in any of its five teams. Joining the local sub-district cricket club Elsternwick, he did not get to bat or bowl in his first match, and was then dropped to the Second XI for his poor fielding. Coleman (1993), pp 522–529.] Nevertheless, the former Victorian state player Hughie Carroll spotted Miller's talent and lured him to the rival South Melbourne club. However, Elsternwick prevented him from playing for Souths, so he continued playing in the seconds for Elsternwick. In the meantime he continued playing for his school, with steady results, scoring 30 and 25 in two matches against Melbourne's main rival University High School. A relaxing of the zoning rules allowed Miller to start playing for South Melbourne in the following season. However, the rules required South Melbourne to play him in their First XI or St Kilda could reclaim him, so he made his district cricket debut for South at the start of the 1935–36 season after a trial in the nets.Perry, p. 23.] At this stage, he was just 162 cm tall—the Test batsman Keith Rigg recalls his first encounter with Miller in a district match:

It was at South Melbourne that he met Ian Johnson and Lindsay Hassett, his future Australia team-mates and captains. Miller scored only 12 not out batting at No. 7 on debut against St Kilda, but observers felt he would succeed if he could physically grow. Miller passed his exams at the end of 1935 and continued his improvement on the field. He began to develop a leg break and googly and represented his school against a visiting schoolboy team from Ceylon. Miller scored an unbeaten 28 to prevent a loss and later claimed that the experience had helped broaden his horizons towards other cultures. Assisted by cross-training in baseball, his fielding improvement saw him placed in the slips and he was named as Melbourne High School's cricket sports champion for 1936.Perry, p. 24.] Miller had averaged 86 with the bat and taken 13 wickets at an average of 9.23, including hauls of 7/29 against St Kevin's and 3/5 against University High.This prompted Woodfull to write in the school magazine that "Miller has Test possibilities".Perry, p. 25.]

In March, he played for South Melbourne against Carlton, captained by Woodfull. South Melbourne batted first and collapsed to 5/6. The sixth wicket fell at 32 and Miller came to the crease. He guided his team to 141, putting on a stand of 65 in 95 minutes with the last man and finishing with 61. He had struck four boundaries in a 147-minute innings.Perry, p. 26.] The crowd of 14,000, the largest of the season, gave Miller a standing ovation, and newspapers compared him to Ponsford and Alan Kippax.Perry, p. 27.] Carlton went on to win the game, and when it was obvious that this was the case, Miller's captain let him bowl for the first time and he took his first wicket in district cricket when Test paceman Laurie Nash took a high-leaping catch. Miller's performance prompted Carlton to donate a silver eggcup as a memento "for sterling performance". It was one of the few trophies from his sporting career that he kept in later life.cite news
title = Fab farewell for cricket legend Keith Miller
url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/20/1097951766524.html?from=storylhs
publisher = The Age
date = 2004-10-20
accessdate = 2007-12-22 ] Woodfull presented Miller with the trophy during algebra class.

During 1936, Miller underwent a sudden growth spurt, including a three month period in which he lengthened by 10 cm. He began to play football in a more physical and aggressive manner and developed the ability to leap high and take airborne marks.Perry, p. 28.] He increase in size allowed him to become the longest kicker in the school team. Having grown 28 cm in a year, upon his return to South Melbourne the following season, he was unrecognisable to Lindsay Hassett.Perry, p. 29.] Eventually, Miller reached 185cm in height, thwarting his ambition to be a jockey although he never lost his love for the racetrack.

Representative beginnings

At the start of the 1936–37 season, he was selected for the Colts, a state under-21 team that played at district level. At the end of the 1936 school year, he completed year 10, passing five of his eight subjects. Disinclined towards heading to university, he left school without finishing his Leaving year and took a position as a clerk for a car business. Miller felt confident that he could make a career out of sport and therefore felt that further education was unnecessary.Perry, p. 30.]

Miller spent the 1937–38 season with the Colts and won the team's batting trophy for having the best average with 340 runs at 42.50. Across the entire competition, he had the eighth highest average. He scored three half-centuries and a 102 against Northcote.Perry, p. 32.] At this stage, he was a solid, slow and steady batsman, who accumulated his runs gradually, but the "The Age" predicted that his physical growth would open his horizons, opining "Once he filld out—he is rather tall for his weight—Miller should become a brilliant, aggressive batsman".Perry, p. 31.] Late in the summer, he made his first-class debut for the Victorian Second XI as an 18-year old and hit 181 in 289 minutes against Tasmania at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. [ [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16497.html Cricket Archive: Victoria v Tasmania 1937–38, scorecard.] ] With his increased power, he began to loft he ball over the infield and struck five fours. In 1938–39, he rejoined South Melbourne and played four first-class matches for Victoria, scoring 125 runs at an average of 25.00. However, he was yet to play in the Sheffield Shield competition but only in one-off matches against other teams. [ [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/741/f_Batting_by_Season.html Cricket Archive: First-class batting and fielding in each season by KR Miller.] Retrieved 27-12-2007.] He played his first matches in the Victorian First XI in two matches against Western Australia in Perth, scoring 111 runs at 37.00.

He achieved more success as a footballer after following his brothers Les and Ray in joining the Brighton Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1937. A defender, Miller played his first two season on the flanks, as he was yet to reach his physical peak and lacked the power to play in central defensive positions until his third year in 1939. At this stage, he was unable to hip and shoulder his opponents and relied on his running ability and accurate kicking.Perry, p. 33.] In 1939–40, Miller was selected to make his Sheffield Shield debut, against South Australia at Adelaide Oval.Perry, p. 35.] Batting at No. 5, Miller came to the crease at 3/18 after a top-order collapse, but managed only four before being caught by future co-writer Richard Whitington from the bowling of Harold Cotton. When Victoria fielded, Miller ran out his future "Invincibles" captain Don Bradman, the first time that Bradman had been caught short of his ground in first-class cricket.Perry, p. 36.] in the second innings, he managed seven before being bowled by leg spinner Clarrie Grimmett,Perry, p. 37.] who had been one of the world's leading bowlers in the 1930s. One of Miller's teammates was Percy Beames, who happened to be his manager at Vacuum Oil, where he had moved from his first job. Miller scored 41 and 47 not out in his second match against Queensland to hold his place. However, against New South Wales, Miller was out for 14 in both innings, having difficulties against leg spin, falling once to Bill O'Reilly and the other time to Cec Pepper.Perry, p. 38.] In the return match against South Australia, Miller decided to take the initiative against Grimmett, charging down the wicket to drive the leg spinner. He featured in a 92-run partnership with Hassett, at times bluffing Grimmett by moving forward before leaning back after the bowler had adjusted his length. Miller reached 108, his first century in Shield competition. He was given out caught by Bradman from Grimmett, after a disputed catch in which he asked the umpires if he had hit a bump ball.Perry, p. 39.] Nevertheless, Bradman praised Miller's innings.Perry, p. 40.] Apart from the century, Miller had an average season, ending with 298 runs at 29.80. He did not bowl during the season.Perry, p. 43.]

In 1940, Miller started his fourth season in the VFA. In a match against Coburg, regarded as one of the strongest teams in the competition, he was assigned to man the greatest forward of the era, Bob Pratt.Perry, p. 44.] Pratt had scored 678 goals in ten season for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL), the top tier of football, and had scored more than 100 goals in each of the last three season.Perry, p. 45.] Miller managed to restrict Pratt to one goal for the match and was named as the best on ground. In the third quarter of the match, Miller restricted him to two marks, and in the fourth quarter, he prevented Pratt from getting a single kick. Scouts from VFL club St Kilda signed Miller on the spot.Perry, p. 46.] Upon Miller's signing, "The Age" opined that he "is one of the most promising players ever to enter league ranks, and can be played anywhere in defence. It was he who kept Bob Pratt to one goal in last week's Association match".

At the time, World War II had broken out and by mid-1940, France, Belgium and The Netherlands had fallen to Nazi Germany. Australia had declared war on Germany and Miller wanted to join the military, but St Kilda told him that if he was deployed outside Victoria, his career would be in jeopardy. As a result, Miller postponed his enlistment until the end of the season.

Playing as a defender, Miller debuted for against Carlton, playing on the half-back flank. Immediately upon the start of the game, his opponent Ron Cooper king hit him, resulting in concussion. Miller said of the experience, "I learnt more in a second or two than I would have in a year".Perry, p. 47.] cite book
last=Main
first=Jim
coauthors=Holmesby, Russell
title=The encyclopedia of league footballers
year=1992
publisher=Wilkinson
location=Melbourne
isbn=1 86337 085 4
pages=p. 269. ] When St Kilda next met Carlton, Miller shoulder bumped Cooper in the first minute of the match, forcing his opponent to leave the field. In a match against Richmond, Miller was targeted by its renowned enforcer Jack Dyer, known as "Captain Blood". However, Dyer slipped and missed.Perry, p. 48.] In one match, Miller was reported to showing dissent to a goal umpire, but was let off without punishment. St Kilda came second last, so they did not make the playoffs. Despite his team's poor form, Miller was voted as the club's best and fairest.Perry, p. 49.]

Notes

References

*cite book|last=Perry|first=Roland|title=Miller's Luck: the life and loves of Keith Miller, Australia's greatest all-rounder|year=2005|publisher=Random House|location=Sydney|isbn=9781741662221