Albert Victor Ernest Manley Keast (2 July 1895 – 20 April 1969) was a New Zealand sportsman and journalist. He played four first-class cricket matches for Otago between the 1917–18 and 1922–23 seasons as well as playing Hawke Cup cricket for Southland. ^[1]

Born at Dunedin in 1895, Albie Keast was the son of Albert E. A. Keast and his wife Laura Ann. He had two sisters. ^[2] He played club cricket for Grange and Albion Cricket Clubs, ^{[3] [4] [5]} and was described as "well known in local cricket circles" in 1924 ^[6] and "an important personage in Southland cricket" in 1926. ^[7]

Keast made his first-class debut for Otago in a December 1917 match against Canterbury at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. He recorded a pair on debut but was retained in the side for the next representative match, the annual fixture against Southland, a match that had first-class status at the time. He played once the following season, again against Southland, and was recalled to the side for a final time in January 1923, playing in Otago's Plunket Shield side. In total he scored only 23 runs with a highest first-class score of seven. ^[8]

Professionally Keast worked initially in the commercial department of the Otago Daily Times. ^[9] He moved to Christchurch in 1924 to work for Whitcombe and Tombs in the city, ^[10] before moving to Invercargill in 1926, taking up a position as a journalist with the Southland Times. ^[11] He retained an involvement in cricket as a player and administrator, ^[7] and played for Southland against the touring Australians in February 1928 and in the team's Hawke Cup side against Manawatu in February 1930. ^[8]

As a journalist, Keast enjoyed a "national reputation" with an "encyclopaedic knowledge" of sport. He was the sports diarist and rugby union correspondent at the Southland Times writing under the pen name "Onlooker". ^[11] He played lawn bowls to a high level, representing Southland, and was involved is sports administration, including acting as the manager of a New Zealand bowls side visiting Adelaide in 1951. ^[11]

Keast died after a long illness at Christchurch in 1969. He was aged 73. ^{[11] [12]}

References

External links

• Albert Keast at ESPNcricinfo

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