Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

came into note. His scores were almost always as much talked about as was his brother, Dr W.G., more recently. I had the pleasure of knowing both the mother and father of this famous player. The former knew ten times more about cricket than any lady I ever met. As an instance of this, I will here mention a circumstance often talked of by George Parr. During the time of the palmy days of the All England Eleven, Mrs Grace wrote to Parr, asking him to play her son (E.M.) in some of his matches, as she was sure, she said, he had the making of a fine player; and said she had a younger son who would in time make a better batsman than any of his brothers, for his back play was superior to theirs. Soon after his appearance amongst us, W.G. rose into the front rank of English batsmen. His astounding feats with the bat could have been accomplished by no man, however good a player, who was not possessed of great physical advantages, an iron constitution, and who did not live temperately. There has never been any show about his play, and it is only the best judges who can most fully appreciate his great abilities. His defence has always been perfect, his hitting powerful and clean, and the way in which he is able to place a ball for runs is truly marvellous. William Caffyn, for whose book Seventy-one Not Out Richard junior performed similar editorial services, was also the subject of a short sketch: ‘Of William Caffyn’s play, I cannot speak too highly. It is a pity such players as he should ever grow old. A superior man in every way was Caffyn. He always dressed well and had a smart and neat appearance at all times.’ But, according to Richard, this did not stop some joker from flattening a dead mouse and inserting it in the lining of Caffyn’s silk Sunday hat. Richard regarded the last chapter of Kings of Cricket as the most important part of the book and, certainly, Arrowsmith thought sufficiently well of it to publish Daft’s Hints on Cricket as a separate booklet at the price of six old pennies – 2½ pence. The technology for action photography had to await the pioneering work of George Beldam early in the next century. Before that time, enthusiasts had to be content with grainy pictures of ‘poseurs’ or engravings, such as those with which Richard’s coaching instructions are illustrated, showing him executing a wide variety of strokes. A certain curiosity attaches to that extinct Kings of Cricket 124