Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

45 in innings victories against Sussex and Hampshire inside a week were representative of his effort and penetration – 35-10-71-6, 40-12-108-6, then 34.2-9-85-6, 29.2-7-70-9. The two victories ensured that Surrey were once again winners of the County Championship. Richardson bowled nearly as well as ever, taking 12 wickets at just under 15 runs a-piece. Surrey and Yorkshire cricketers may be stale from overwork, if there is such a complaint in cricket; it is surprising, however, that the man who has worked harder than any two others, seems as fresh as new paint, and might only just be starting the season instead of winding it up with more wickets than any other English bowler has bagged in any previous season. 97 Twenty-two wickets in two matches at the Hastings Festival brought his season’s total to 290. For Stoddart’s Anglo-Australian XI against the Rest of England Peel and Richardson soon put England out of their misery, and all the side went down for 44, a remarkable finish to a remarkable season… 98 ‘Richardson has accomplished a marvellous performance with the ball,’ enthused Cricket . 99 – and in a batsman’s year when W.G.Grace scored a thousand runs in May, the first to do so. Once again, the season came to a light-hearted conclusion at the Reigate Festival: Both teams included many well-known players, but there was no attempt to send them in the usual order adopted in county matches, lots being drawn for priority. Thus, when W.G.Grace won the toss, and decided that his side should bat first, Richardson, the Surrey fast bowler who had good fortune in the draw, had the honour of going in first with W L Murdoch. 100 He made 16 before being bowled by Bobby Peel. He did not bowl. Maybe he had bowled enough that season as his first-class figures of 1691.1- 463-4170-290 might indicate. 101 The 290 wickets in an English season, beating Turner’s 283 in 1888 was to stand as a record until passed by ‘Tich’ Freeman in 1928. In 31 first-class games, Richardson had taken ten or more wickets in a match in no fewer than 17, including all of the last eight and twelve of the last fourteen. Too much should not be read into trans-generation comparisons, particularly when they relate to different types of bowlers, but it may be worth a mention that Richardson obtained his wickets at a lower average and strike rate, 14.37 against 18.05 and 29.15 against 39. Freeman’s economy rate was 2.77, against Richardson’s 2.95. 102 His overall career 97 Cricket 5 September 1895 98 Cricket 19 September 1895 99 5 September 1895 100 Cricket 19 September 1895 101 1,691.1 overs confirmed by CricketArchive and by Wisden until 1954. Since then Wisden has had 1,690.1. 102 2.46 converted to six-ball over equivalent 1895...Annus Mirabilis...Surrey