Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

39 Australia 1894/95 run into the city, while fully 500 people journeyed nearly 500 miles by rail from Melbourne to Adelaide especially to see the match… Friday was a terrible day with the thermometer at 155 deg in the sun and 102 deg in the shade... Then at 124 a splendid longer ball from Richardson clean beat Harry. Richardson had now taken four wickets for 57… His pace was terrific and the pitch wonderfully accurate… Richardson bowled with tremendous energy… 75 Nevertheless, his performances of 21-4-75-5 and 31.2-8-89-3 were insufficient to prevent an Australian victory by the large margin of 382 runs. In the Fourth Test, back at Sydney, Australia levelled the series, stuffing England out of sight in under two days playing time, bowling them out twice on the third scheduled day, after the second had been lost to rain. Richardson had bowled well, but without much luck, he and England suffering from missed chances: At 81 Richardson went on against the wind, and Briggs changed ends. Now came the turning point in the game. With the total at 84, of which Graham had made 37, the dashing batsman snicked a ball from Richardson straight at Brockwell, just a nice height to catch, but the fieldsman let it drop… With his score at 29, Darling lifted one from Richardson right into the hands of MacLaren at long-on, but though that fieldsman had not to move for the ball, he failed to hold it. 76 Despite Richardson’s participation in the highest partnership of either of England’s miserable innings – 20 for the ninth wicket, Lockwood being absent hurt – the only effect was to reduce the margin of defeat to an innings and 147 runs. The final match of the rubber with the series tied at 2-2, was a much closer affair and a triumph for Richardson and, eventually, England. Richardson had now become the benchmark against which other batsmen and bowlers were measured Iredale... played Richardson much better than anyone on the side… Richardson was able to make the ball “kick” a good deal which several of the batsmen in this match were painfully aware of, few of them escaping one or more blows from him. Richardson fairly triumphed over the batsmen and executed a feat worthy of the reputation he has achieved in the Old Country. 77 42-7-138-3 and 45.2-7-104-6 supported by Peel’s 48-13-114-4 and 46-16- 89-3 left England with a none-too-straightforward target of just under 75 Cricket 28 February 1895 76 Cricket 28 March 1895 77 Cricket 11 April 1895