Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

Richard continued his cricket for another six years or so; one of his innings remains as a proud testament to his fitness and dedication. On 15 and 16 August 1893, Skegness and District scored 79, to which South Notts replied with 328. Skegness batted a second time scoring 44 for four, leaving the match drawn. The visitors’ scorecard read as follows: This was a remarkable feat of endurance for a veteran in his fifty-eighth year. How did he maintain his condition and form? At his home, The Rosery, he kept an asphalt tennis court which he also used for cricket practice: he had his own skittle alley, too. Every day he made a point of walking at least two miles and, taking to tennis quite late in life, played the game enthusiastically all year round: and he never failed to take his cold bath in the morning. He hunted, shot, fished, played lacrosse, to which he was an early devotee, and he cycled and skated, too. He hardly practised cricket between matches, though he always made a great point of having a few balls before the start of a game. He ends the section ‘Hints on Cricket’ in his book Kings of Cricket : ‘Many people used to think that my wrist play was the best part of [my batting] and [this] . . . has, in my opinion, been owing to the great use I have made of the dumb-bells – fairly heavy ones – I use every morning of my life.’ A Match Too Far? 116 1 W.Whitlock b Woodley 15 2 A.Phillips c and b Carter 4 3 A.Oliver b Woodley 1 4 H.B.Daft c and b Lovett 27 5 R.Daft c Disbrowe b Carter 144 6 R.P.Daft c Disbrowe b Lee 80 7 A.L.Checkland b Booth 0 8 C.Hassall b Booth 6 9 J.Francklin not out 38 10 J.L.Checkland b Carter 0 11 W.Mee b Booth 6 Extras 7 Total 328