Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

Wyld attacked at the other. With Wyld he added 78 for the fourth wicket and with Shaw, 98 for the fifth. The county’s score increased by 262 before the innings ended at 6.50 pm when he remained undefeated. If Tuesday had been Richard’s day, Wednesday belonged to W.G., who wagered that he would better Daft’s fine effort and, attacking from the word go and giving several chances, scored 75 out of the MCC total of 119 for four. Eventually, with the score at 186, he was bowled off his pads, sixth out for 121 and so won his bet. This effort was unavailing as MCC subsided to defeat by 102 runs. This was the first time that Richard and W.G. had met on the cricket field and there was, from the first, a competitive edge when they did so. The other innings of Richard’s in 1869 which set enthusiasts talking was his 93 not out against Surrey at The Oval at the end of July. The home side were out for 206 on the first day when Notts were well placed at 68 for one. Next day, Richard went to join J.G.Beevor with the score of 96 for 3 at 12.50 pm. The partnership took the score to 173. Price hit hard and well while adding 95 for the sixth wicket, and after five hours’ carefully judged batting, Richard was left undefeated on 93 when the innings ended for 356 – a lead of 150. His innings included 57 singles and only two fours. Jupp and Humphrey made a good response for Surrey with a stand of 107. Jupp seemed immovable: frustration set in as a drawn game seemed in prospect. Richard wrote: ‘But at last I went on myself with my lobs and took five wickets for very few runs, Biddulph stumping four off me.’ The last five wickets fell for ten runs. Harry Jupp was left high and dry with 102 not out. In earlier years, Gerald Brodribb tells us, Richard had occasionally bowled medium-fast round arm. For a few years from 1869 he took, under his own captaincy, a larger share in the attack but the fancy did not last. Notts were left with under 60 to get and struggled to achieve them for the loss of four wickets with 15 minutes to spare. Notts were successful in four other county matches and lost only one, Yorkshire winning by five runs at Sheffield in spite of Richard’s contributions of 50 and 31 not out. He played a typical innings, accumulating 56 in the other match with Surrey at Trent Bridge, though Lillywhite’s Companion (‘Green Lilly’) described the Notts’ fielding in the visiting side’s first innings as simply disgraceful, rendering Surrey’s innings a complete travesty of county cricket. Against Twenty-two of Bestwood Park at the County Cricket 45