Cricket 1889

T oge th er joined in cricket’s m an ly to il.”— B y r o n s No- 219. VOL. VIII. Registered lor Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1889. PRICE 2d. H E N R Y R ICH ARD SON . T he brilliant all-round crioket shown by the Nottinghamshire eleven throughout the summer has been the theme of conver­ sation among cricketers of all olasses. The history of County cricket would be studied in vain by anyone desirous of finding a parallel to the extraordinary record achieved by the sturdy men of Notts in this present year of grace. None *but them­ selves, indeed, can be their parallel. Tteyhave proved themselves so far to;be an exceptionally strong com­ bination, not only in one depart­ ment,- but in all. Their out-cricket has been as sure and effective as their in has been reliable; they have kept down the runs of their opponents as successfully as they have made them against every kind of bowling themselves. Their strength has laid this year, though, quite as much in their bowling as in their batting. Were any proof wanting of the quantity as well as quality of the attack, it would be found in the fact that Barnes, one of the most dangerous bowlers we have, has hardly been required at all this season. On Attewell, Shacklock, and Richardson, has fallen the chief share of the work when Notts has had to take the field. And of this triumvirate, one such as no other County can boast at the present time, Richard­ son has latterly proved himself to be by no means the most insignifi­ cant. Born at Bulwell, a suburb of Nottingham, on Oct. 4, 1858, two months more will witness the com­ pletion of his thirtieth year. He learned his early cricket on Bulwell Forest, which was then a large open common, not as now utilised and levelled for crioket by the Corpora­ tion of Nottingham as a public ground. After an apprenticeship with the Bulwell United C.C,, mainly composed of juniors, he was promotedto the ranks of the Bulwell Club, for whom he did good service,alongwithTye,theCountyplayer,as well as Bembridge and Elliott, both well-known cricketers. His first engagement was with th© Gloucester Town Club in 1877, and no better proof of the satisfaction he gave can be adduced than that he retained his appoint­ ment there for four years. His cricket, too, was much appreciated, and, in fact, he rarely failed to do good service in the various matches undertaken by Gloucester, many of them against Cheltenham,’ the Royal Agricultural College, at Cirencester, in particular, against powerful-combinations. From Gloucester his next, and, as far as we know, his only move at least as a professional cricketer, was to Liverpool. An offer of an engagement on the Aigburth Road ground there tempted him to better himself, and.the change was beneficial to himself as well as the Liverpool' Club, if their uninterrupted connection up to the present time is to be taken as a proof of mutual satisfaction. The programme of the Liverpool Club, as CnicKET-readers know, includes several important fixtures, and Richardson’s services were soon estimated at their proper value by the many good judges identified with that body. Not only as a reallyreliable bowler, but also as a steady bat, he established a high local reputation. As a bowler, in particular, he proved to be very effective, and one of his best performances was against the Manchester Club, when he took eight of the ten wickets, which included those of Briggs, Barlow and other well-known Lancashire cricketers. It was not until 1886, though, that he came into any prominence. His bowling that year ‘ was remarkably effective, and, indeed, he was credited with as many as 149 wickets at an average oost of under 7 runs. It was the Whit-Monday match at Lord’s in 1887, for the bene­ fit of Walter Price, which gave him really his first chance of distinction. Owing to a number of Inter-County matches on the same day, both the North and the - South were poorly represented, and the wicket, owing to rain, was so much in favour of the bowlers, that the game was completed on the first day. Except for three overs in the second inn­ ings, Rawlin and Richardson bowled unchanged for the North, and th e' latter kept up his end throughout, taking nine wickets for omy 64 runs. Another equally good performance for the Notts Colts against the Yorkshire Colts in the same week proved that his feat at Lord’s was not a “ fluke,” and the executive of the Notts Club could hardly do otherwise than give him a trial in the County eleven, more especially as, a little later, he also proved his capaoity as a bowler unmistakably for Liverpool and District against Yorkshire. Though in his opening match against Lan­ cashire at Nottingham on June 30, 1887,he was not very successful, still he retained his place in the team throughout the year, and, on the whole, with fairly satisfactory results, particularly in bowling, securing as he did twenty-seven wickets for an average of under 17. Though he was not particularly for­ tunate in the earlier matches of 1888, he bowled with consistent success toward the end of the sea­ son, and his average of 11.16 for thirty-nine wickets was really the best for the County. In the small scoring match between Yorkshire and Notts at Sheffield he bowled with remarkable effect, and in the first innings of Yorkshire he was credited with six of the ten wickets at a cost of only twelve runs. During August his bowling was of great service, and he finished up the summer in good style, taking seven of the ten wickets in the one innings Middlesex had [in the last fixture of the season for 75 runs. Realising in a great measure the high