Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

37 was used sparingly in the others, a sensible policy given the amount of bowling he was required to do in the Tests – almost 300 overs in the five matches. The pattern was set in the F irst Test at Sydney when he bowled 55.3 overs, taking five for 181 in an Australian total which, thanks to a century by Giffen, a double century by Gregory and a partnership of over 150 for the ninth wicket between the latter and Blackham, reached 586. Richardson was clearly overbowled: his pace was effective early in the innings, indeed well into the second day, but towards the end he wilted in the Antipodean heat. Runs came slowly off Richardson, who was bowling better than he had before he took the wickets at Brisbane….Richardson bowled well, while Peel and Briggs were fearfully expensive without gaining a wicket... Richardson and Peel resumed the bowling, and a ball from the former rose as high as Reedman’s head. The batsman foolishly cut at it, and Brockwell in the slips had a chance which he did not accept… Again one of Richardson’s rose and clouted Reedman on the head… a fast ball from Richardson landed at the base of McLeod’s middle stump… Runs came apace, yet Richardson and Peel still bowled on as they had while 132 runs were put on. It was simply killing Richardson, whose pace had dropped considerably, and both batsmen were able to hit him to leg to their heart’s content. 70 Lockwood, meanwhile, had bowled three overs. However, from being on their knees and obliged to follow on, England staged a remarkable recovery to win by ten runs, the only instance of victory after following on until Botham’s match at Headingley in 1981. Australia’s 586 remains the highest total by a losing side in Test cricket. Giffen, after his double century, then emulated Richardson by bowling 43 overs in the first innings, 75 in the second and still finished on the losing side in this ‘timeless’ Test, the first to go into a sixth day. Bobby Peel was the eventual match winner with six for 67. Richardson’s earlier efforts had taken their toll: Richardson was suffering from a severe cold and only went out in order that he might have a good sweat. 71 At a time when off-the-field activities attract less press publicity than they do nowadays, those of Lockwood in Sydney harbour were something of an exception, paralleling perhaps the Flintoff pedalo incident more than a century later: An untoward accident happened to Lockwood and it was only by the merest fluke that his life was saved. The incident was kept very quiet 70 Cricket 31 January 1895 71 Cricket 31 January 1895 Australia 1894/95