Career
Carkeek, generally known otherwise as "Bill", earned the nickname among the Australian cricketing community, because his batting style was reminiscent of Dick Barlow, the notoriously defensive opening batsman for England and Lancashire. Principally played as a wicketkeeper, Carkeek was also a stolid, defensive left-hand batsman. He played for Victoria for 10 years from 1903-1914, and was rated as steady rather than spectacular.
He toured England in 1909 as the second wicketkeeper to Sammy Carter and came back 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.
lieutenant 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.
A blacksmith by trade, Carkeek also played 26 top-class games, kicking 8 goals, for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1903–1905. 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. Carkeek was buried on 22 February 1937 in the Cheltenham Memorial Park (Wangara Road).