Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

57 Wisden named him along with Syd Gregory, A.F.A.Lilley, K.S.Ranjitsinhji and Hugh Trumble, as one of its Five Cricketers of the Season . He had no chance of a nomination in any of the previous four seasons, the equivalent awards going to batsmen (twice), allrounders, and W.G.Grace. In its customary manner Wisden recounted the details of Tom’s career up to the end of 1896, emphasising his position in being currently ‘the first of English bowlers’. The writer mentioned that at first Richardson was thought to have thrown a great deal but that now there was no question as to the purity of his action. 131 131 1897 p xlvii 1896...Annus Mirabilis...England