Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

73 Fin-de-Siècle Lives of great teams all remind us We may yet far upwards climb And, in autumn, leave behind us Rivals knocked clean out on time. Longfellow (up-to-date) 170 The weather that summer was not the greatest. With rain day after day, with wintry temperatures, with matches abandoned everywhere as drawn. With such happenings as 38 runs for three wickets being the full score of a game in which play was attempted on all three days. 171 After a less than impressive start to the season (at least by the standards he had set over the previous four seasons), occasioned no doubt by the after-effects of the winter tour, Tom’s form began to pick up. Against Oxford University Richardson bowled better than he has done for some time. 172 His three for 60 and five for 41 helped Surrey to a victory by an innings and three runs. Then the following week, Somerset were beaten by nine wickets, Richardson’s contribution being 19.2-2-68-7 and 41-9-117-5: Richardson bowled so well that memories of his former great successes were revived. 173 At Chesterfield, he took the first three wickets - all bowled – and followed that with a ten-wicket match against Hampshire; then, the third hat-trick of his career, against Sussex in George Bean’s benefit match: In their second innings, the home team began fairly well, but when Richardson got rid of Mr Brann, Mr Murdoch and Mr Newham with successive balls, the rot set in. 174 Against Leicestershire Richardson bowled very well 175 and the earlier heavy defeat by Yorkshire was amply avenged in the return fixture at The Oval as the visitors responded to Surrey’s 536 with 78 and 186. Lockwood and Richardson were in irresistible form. … and Waterloo provided the framework for a bit more late nineteenth- century doggerel. THE BATTLE OF THE OVAL It was a summer evening When Apted’s work was done: And he before the scoring box Was sitting in the sun; And by him squatted on the green 170 Cricket 16 June 1898 171 Cricket 23 June 1898 172 Cricket 23 June 1898 173 Cricket 30 June 1898 174 Cricket 14 July 1898 175 Cricket 21 July 1898