Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

opposition sixteen players. Derbyshire mustered 114 before dismissing the great Notts eleven for only 14 and going on to defeat Notts by an innings. Turning to happier events, Richard opened the season against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge with the highest innings he ever played in a first-class match – although he was to exceed it by a long way as late as 1885, but not in first-class company. In splendid weather, the two Shaws put out their opponents for 65. The Notts total was 42 for two when Richard went to the wicket. Bignall was next out at 83 before the entry of Martin McIntyre, who hit up 48 out of 71 for the fourth partnership. Richard played very finely to reach 80, and with Selby on 29 had taken Notts’ reply to 228 for four by close of play. The brilliant part of his innings came on the second day. Richard, joined by Biddulph with the score at 270 for seven, was soon in his best form, hitting, according to Wisden , in such brilliant and telling style that they had taken the total to 333 when Biddulph was run out. Morley stayed in until 355, when, attempting a big hit to leg, Richard was caught by long-stop! His 161, out of 313, was as fine a display of first-class hitting as was seen in 1873. This, the highest innings yet played at Trent Bridge, Richard amassed with the aid of eighteen fours and as many as 45 singles. It was the highest first-class score for the county until Shrewsbury’s 207 versus Surrey at The Oval in 1882. The previous Notts record was George Parr’s 130, also versus Surrey at The Oval, in 1859. Years later, Louis Hall of Yorkshire, whose first season this was, told Old Ebor : ‘I had the pleasure of seeing Richard Daft get 161 against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. To use a favourite expression of Tom Emmett, it was like playing with the sharp edge of a knife. He also made that beautiful leg stroke of his; I never saw anything to equal it.’ On his return to the dressing room, Daft was greeted with an ovation and summoned to the pavilion for a presentation by the Notts committee, who awarded him the largest award of talent money they had ever made. Yorkshire followed with 170, so Notts were victorious by an innings and 120 runs. His century apart, Richard’s only score over fifty in county matches came against Surrey at The Oval. Notts played a very settled side in which ten players appeared in every match. Alfred Shaw, at the age of 31, came into his own. His victims in Nottinghamshire’s fixtures numbered 43, at an average of 11.09. In all matches, his figures were: 1,357.3 overs, 656 maidens, 1,675 runs, and 121 wickets, average 13.84. More of the County Championship 61