Keith Slater

Keith Nichol Slater (born 12 March 1936 in Midland, Western Australia) is a former Western Australian and Australian cricketer and West Australian Football League (WAFL) player.

In cricket he only played in only one Test, but 74 first-class cricket matches for Western Australia. He was an all-rounder whose international career was shortened by doubts over his bowling action. Slater wasn't selected for the 1961 Ashes tour of England, even though tipped to go, thus never adding to his one Ashes cap of 1959. Chairman of selectors Don Bradman explained it as a policy of the Imperial Cricket Conference to exclude bowlers with doubtful actions, quite common at the time. He later showed him a film to illustrate. He was indeed called for throwing while playing against New South Wales in 1964-65.

Slater was a star footballer for Swan Districts and Subiaco and played in the 1961 WANFL grand final with Swans against East Perth and his display in containing “Polly” Farmer won him the Simpson Medal in a huge upset victory. He continued to play for Swans for the following two seasons before Subiaco, who had between 1947 and 1956 constantly occupied the bottom two places with Swans and whose president Frank Exell had approached Slater a season before, lured him as their captain-coach after two disappointing seasons.

In Slater’s first season the Maroons made only their fourth open-age finals appearance since 1936, but were unexpectedly defeated by the equally unsuccessful Claremont in a rainy first semi-final. The following two seasons proved very disappointing, with the Maroons winning only eight games in 1965 and six (plus one draw) in 1966, when they lost their last nine matches. This led to questioning of Slater’s coaching methods, notably his taking the Maroons on a trip to Singapore during the 1964/1965 off-season, and his contract was not renewed for 1967. Slater returned to Swan Districts for 1967 but retired following that season.