Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

131 Acknowledgements A number of people and organisations have provided various levels of assistance, some substantial, in the provision of information for and the production of this book. My sincere thanks go to all of them. Archives départementales de Savoie, Chambéry; Archives municipales d’Aix-les-Bains; Bath Central Library and Record Office, Bath and North East Somerset Council British Newspaper Library; HM Courts and Tribunals Service – Probate Sub-Registry; London Borough of Merton Local Studies Library; Richmond Local Studies Library; Mairie de St Jean d’Arvey; Surrey Cricket Library; Surrey History Centre; Graham Ashton, historian of Thames Ditton Cricket Club, for access to Club minutes and scorebooks, now deposited in the Surrey History Centre in Woking; Martin Bicknell for finding time to contribute a Foreword on top of his strenuous training efforts for a triathlon; Carol Davies Foster, Local Studies, Children’s & Cultural Services, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for access to local press items on Richardson’s funeral; Andrée Dussert, service des archives départementales de Savoie, for press items on Richardson’s death at St Jean d’Arvey; Charles Fellows-Smith for introducing me to John Lazenby’s book on Jack Mason; David Frith for supplying and allowing the use of the photographs of the balls with which Richardson took 10-45 against Essex in 1894 and 8-94 in his final Test match against Australia in 1898; Sarah Gould, Heritage Officer, London Borough of Merton, for access to the records and photographs of Mitcham Cricket Club; Derek and Betty Hambrook, residents of Commonside East, Mitcham, for their local knowledge of Mitcham in general and Hancock’s Cottages in particular; Margaret Griffiths, Heritage Public Services, Surrey History Centre; Philip Harper, Archives Assistant, Bath Record Office, for information on Tom Richardson’s time as landlord of the Wine Vaults in Bath; David Harker and Andrew Titmus, Durham County Cricket Club; David Jeater, series editor, for his interest and encouragement throughout the project and for proof reading;