Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

Only after their memorable match against the full strength of England at The Oval earlier that September of 1880, the first Test Match played on English soil – Barnes, Shaw and Morley were three Notts’ players in that inaugural match – did they regain their popularity. They then found the counties, who had so recently scorned their requests for fixtures, anxious to make amends. So large crowds were expected at Trent Bridge. A high price had to be paid. The visitors’ equivocal status, treating themselves as amateurs when they were here for the money, did not help either. However, their matches had drawn large crowds even though most of them were played against odds. As Peter Wynne-Thomas wrote: ‘This . . . match being an extra county game, Captain Holden wrote to the Notts players saying that the terms agreed between Richard and the tourists were that they take half the receipts and then, after expenses had been paid, the remainder be divided among the Notts eleven. In 1878, this arrangement had resulted in the tourists – amateurs, of course – being paid £19 each and the Notts players only £6. It was little wonder that Shaw and Shrewsbury and five other leading players told Captain Holden what he could do with his offer.’ Three days before the match, they demanded £20 per man, and as the club was heavily committed to expenditure, the Captain had to agree. He got a little of his own back by paying £21 to the four Notts players who had not rebelled, but the club were to sustain a heavy loss on the match. The contest was a wonderful climax to this season. The Australians had not been beaten by any county and there was wide interest in seeing how they would fare against the champions. Unfortunately, Spofforth, Bannerman and Slight were injured, so only ten of the touring party were available: they brought in Thompson from Melbourne as substitute fielder but batted only ten. Notts, after being 53 behind on the first innings, fought back and were set 131 to win. Arthur Shrewsbury and Barnes, coming together with the score at 9 for two, took the total to 97, at which Barnes was bowled for 42, leaving a target of 34, with seven wickets in hand. After Oscroft was out there ensued a succession of failures. Five men, including Richard, made only two runs between them. Two were still wanted when the last man went to the wicket and took guard in breathless silence: the silence was shattered as Alfred Shaw tipped his first ball over the slips for two. Shrewsbury was undefeated for 66, and was carried shoulder high in triumph to the pavilion. Triumph and Tribulation 99