Cricket 1890

W A L T E R R I C H A R D S . T hough the Warwickshire eleven last summer hardly fulfilled the expectations excited by the excellent cricket they had shown in the previous year, they none the less showed themselves to be on the whole a good all­ round, and in some respects, indeed, a for­ m idable side. On several notable occasions they displayed an exceptional capa­ city for playing an uphill game— a sure proof of ability above the average. The great defect at the present tim e is perhaps the in­ equality of the batting. In Pallett and Shilton Warwickshire possesses a pair of bowlers who rarely, if ever, fail to com e off, and if the batting were only as reliable there would be the material for a very strong eleven. As it is, with such prom ising batsmen as the young ciicketer whose portrait is given on this page and others, there is the nucleus of a side which can make runs as well as keep them down. Of W alter Richards Warwickshire has particular cause to be proud, for the tw o-fold reason that he is a native of the county, and that all his cricket was learned within its borders. Born at Birmingham on Sept. 28, 1865, Richards has just completed his twenty-fifth year. His early cricket was learned upon Cannon H ill Park, within hail of the training ground of Mr. J. Cranston, the well-known Glouces­ tershire amateur, whose cricket education was gained on the neigh­ bouring park, Calthorpe. As a youth he connected himself with Moseley St. Mary’s, a club at that time using the public ground at Cannon H ill. H is first appearance in a match of any note wag in 1881 against the Pickwick Club, one of the oldest and strongest teams in Birm ingham . In this game he scored 24, and in such a style as to attraot special notice of the veterans connected with the Pickw ick Club, who invited him forthwith to take part in their matches. It was the annual custom of the Pickwicks to play a local six­ teen selected from the different clubs in Birm ingham and D istrict, and young Richards signalised his first appearance in this fixture with an exceptionally well played innings of 32. The following season he was selected to represent the colts of W arwickshire, and though scores of ten and nine not out repre­ sented his contribution, his form was still regarded as of sufficient prom ise to warrant a trial in the County eleven a few days later. Here, too, he thoroughly justified his prom o­ tion, and his 26 against Staffordshire, at Coventry, was marked by considerable free­ dom as well as neatness of style. The B ir­ mingham Cricket Association was then in existence, and shortly afterwards Richards was selected to represent it against the over 20 , though his best performance was a score of 91 not out against Handsworth W ood, in which he carried his bat through the entire Sheffield Association. Scores of 57 and 23 furnish sufficient proof, too, that he was still improving steadily as a batsman. Brewery cricket was at this time engaging considerable attention in the district, and the rival firms of M itchell’s and Showell’s each turned out strong eleven*. Richards became a member of the latter, and played for them during the two seasons of 1885 and ’ 86 . H e came out at the end of each season with an average of innings. This, however, was by no means his only score worthy of note, as he made 84 not out for the Association against W arw ick­ shire C. and G., in addition to others of lesser value. Leaving Showells he removed to Salters at W est Bromw ich in 1888, and with the best results, finishing the season with an average of 22 for twenty- three. matches. It was in this summer that he became a per­ manent member of the W arw ick­ shire eleven. H is abilities as a batsman, too, were at once unm is­ takably proved. Somersetshire and Yorkshire both had reason to be impressed with his powers as a run-getter, for he was credited with 64 against the former and 93 against the latter, for whose bowling he has always exhibited a special liking. In 1889 one of his best achievements had to be recorded. Yorkshire had set W arwickshire 212 to get to win, and so well did Richards play, that at the conclusion of the match^ he was not out .120, and W arw ick­ shire had won with five wickets in hand. In the same season he totalled 118 against Hampshire at Birmingham, 32 against Glouces­ tershire at Bristol, and 26 against Lancashire on the county ground at Birm ingham . In local matches a score of 118 not out against K ing’s Heath for Salters was his best per­ formance. During 1890 only one innings of a hundred was recorded to his credit, and that was against Cheshire on Aug. 8 and 9, when he kept his wicket intact for a splendid innings of 102. On a difficult pitch at Birmingham against Lancashire, he was responsible for 30 runs, while in the fixture with M.C.C. & G. just previously he had made 55. On the whole he was unlucky during the season just concluded, large scores being followed by a series of accidents at an early period of each innings. Richards is a batsman of the aggressive type. H e hits well all round the wicket, his late cutting and off-driving being, perhaps, his best strokes, although a bowler dare scarcely venture to drop a ball short, as he is almost sure to be pulled to leg for 4. As a practice bcwler he has an effective break from the off at a pace about slow medium. Our portrait is from .a photograph by Mr. J. Collins, of New Street, Birmingham, “ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron . RegSererd for TransmissiMi^Abroad. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27,1890. PRICE2d.