Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

74 A youngster and a critic keen. ... “Now tell us how the Tykes got out,” The anxious youngster cries: And then the critic keen looked up A tear in both his eyes; “Now tell us all about the rot And of the licking Yorkshire got.” “ ’Twas Tom and Lockwood,” Apted cried “That put the Tykes to rout; But why they did on such a pitch, I cannot well make out But everybody said,” quoth he “That ’twas a famous victory.” 176 Then Tom acquired a new partner in Ernest Hayes, a bowler of a quite different style. The two bowlers who had a hand in this collapse were Richardson and Hayes. The former kept an excellent length and bowled with great judgment. The latter, with his notional breaks from the leg, tied up the batsmen in the most astonishing manner. 177 Richardson had the advantage of being a member of a side that was strong in batting. In the Sussex match at the Oval, the Surrey team were disposed of in their second innings for less than 300, for the first time this season in a completed innings. 178 Conversely, against Somerset at Taunton, he was obliged to carry the bowling almost single-handed: Lockwood returned to London with an arm injury…the whole brunt of the attack fell on Richardson who worked exceedingly hard with much success. 179 In an innings of 139.3 overs spread unevenly between eight bowlers, he had 53.3-14-164-7. There followed a major performance in the last Championship match of the season against Warwickshire at The Oval. First he contributed 28 to a tenth-wicket partnership with Harry Wood, taking the total from 541 to 609, then twice demolished the visitors with 27-4-55-7 and 19-8-28-8, finishing the innings with his second hat-trick of the season. Abel and Brockwell’s opening partnership exceeded the combined total of both Warwickshire innings. It was a satisfactory end to a season with a less than satisfactory beginning. It was perhaps the beginning of the Richardson twilight but it was certainly not without its last gleaming. In the Hastings festival, for A.E.Stoddart’s 176 Cricket 11 August 1898 177 Cricket 18 August 1898 178 Cricket 18 August 1898 179 Cricket 1 September 1898 Fin-de-Siècle