Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

was the finest bat in England. . . . Whether Daft was as good or better than Hayward or Carpenter is purely a matter of opinion, but there can be no question that in their day all three were very great indeed. It is a fair criticism to say that, while Daft and Hayward were far ahead of Carpenter in point of style, Carpenter’s was perhaps the hardest wicket to get. A year later, Wisden described Carpenter as one of the really great batsmen of his time. This time, Richard did not figure in any comparisons. But the performances of Richard and his contemporaries were serving only as the overture to an altogether bigger composition. By his novel variety of strokeplay, by his unyielding keenness at the crease and in the field, by his ability to play the game day in and day out from April to October, and to pile up the runs against all-comers and to take more than his share of wickets, W.G.Grace was to become the most vibrant force in cricket and he remained as such through several generations of cricketers until the 1890s. In the public mind, he eclipsed all that had gone before. He was not held back by the fact that, as yet, there was no Gloucestershire county side to play for. 38 Comparisons