Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

5 Foreword by David Richardson Life is full of “what ifs?” and I can’t help but reflect on what would have happened to my great-great-uncle Tom, the subject of this fascinating and very welcome biography, if he had followed Frank Richardson, one of his four brothers (and my great-grandfather) and settled in South Africa. There would not have been the opportunity for Tom to make his living as a professional cricketer but I can well imagine him holding down an honest job in some trade or other during the week and then terrifying local South African players on weekends with his aggressive and accurate no-nonsense fast bowling. If he stood out as exceptional in the county game, who knows what success he may have enjoyed amongst arguably lesser players, in conditions where he could better keep his footing and with a far less taxing workload? With Tom Richardson in its team, perhaps South Africa would not have had to wait until 1906 to achieve its first win in a Test against England. One thing I do know is that Tom’s career was followed with a great deal of pride by his family in South Africa and his success would have been one of the major factors in cementing the interest and enthusiasm for the game amongst the Richardsons in Africa. For that I owe him a huge debt of thanks because it was that interest and enthusiasm which led me to take up the game and, ultimately, to enjoy a life in cricket that has been a joy and a privilege. The cricket landscape has changed tremendously since the era of Tom Richardson – with coloured clothing, floodlights, Twenty20 cricket, the use of television technology for umpire decision-making and players earning millions of dollars from the game. All these changes are symptomatic of the necessity to move with the times. And yet, it is the history and traditions of cricket that make it special amongst sports. A knowledge of and respect for the former greats, whose feats make up that history, is essential to the game’s long-term survival. This book will, no doubt, contribute to such knowledge. The modern international fast bowler can take comfort from the fact that many of his challenges are little different from those faced by Tom Richardson and his contemporaries – over-bowled, under-appreciated, with a relatively short career span and very little opportunity to enjoy a few pints in the pub without attracting much comment and criticism. Keith Booth’s book reminds us that, with more than 2000 first-class wickets, Tom’s achievements are worthy of wide recognition and I, for one, will raise a glass to that.