Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

reported that he exhibited all his old prettiness of style and coolness. Lockwood then bowled Attewell – 70 for five; and C.W. Wright first ball – 70 for six. These disasters were followed by an outbreak of hail – a pity that it had not poured down ten minutes earlier – followed by steady rain, causing the match to be abandoned for the day. It was 5 o’clock and Notts still needed 27 runs to save them from the follow-on. They did not get them. On the third morning, Lohmann had Richard caught low down at slip and that was the end of Notts’ resistance. At the second attempt, Richard opened the innings with Flowers, but the latter was almost at once caught at cover-point. William Gunn joined Richard and they survived together for 17 minutes, adding five singles, before Gunn was bowled. Barnes, in turn, stayed with Richard for 35 minutes more: then Richard, sensing the futility of the exercise, lashed out and was caught in the deep, and who could blame him? He had placed two runs to his credit out of seven in just under an hour. That he, Gunn and Barnes had made such heavy weather of facing Lohmann and Lockwood was small encouragement to their colleagues: the two Surrey bowlers were unchanged during the Notts innings of 44. The papers seized upon the point that the Dafts, father and son, had played together in a first-class match, but this was not unique. For example, back in 1851, William Lillywhite and his sons James and John had played for Surrey against Middlesex at The Oval and they repeated the feat at Lord’s two years later. William Clarke and his son Alfred played in the same elevens in nine matches for Notts in the 1850s. Richard and Harry were twice more to repeat their double act. Richard had shown that he retained his powers of defence, and he was encouraged to turn out twice more. A fortnight or so later, he journeyed to Clifton where his reunion with W.G. was sadly spoiled by rain. Arthur Shrewsbury, fit again, played a magnificent innings of 94: he scored his runs in 2½ hours before being sixth out. Richard joined him at 59 for three, and shared in a stand of 29 before being finely caught down the leg-side by Jack Board, the keeper, from the bowling of – who else? – W.G. Notts completed their innings at 205 on the first day. There was no play on the second, and the home side struggled to 73 for five on the third, in a couple of hours before the match was given up. Richard returned to Trent Bridge for Notts’ last match against Middlesex. This game, too, was ruined by the rain: there was no 114 A Match Too Far?