Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

Richard Daft himself had only a moderate time: he showed a distinct decline with the bat, while many observers found him less certain and effective in the field. As to his captaincy, he had only to wind up Alfred Shaw at one end to gain control of the opposing batsmen: every man knew his place in the field, and the team batted all the way down to number nine. But there were times when things went irretrievably wrong. The team’s only defeat by a county – they also lost to MCC – came at the hands of Yorkshire at Trent Bridge right at the end of the season. Wisden described the matches between these two counties as ‘The Battle of the Bowlers’ and so this match confirmed. Shaw and Morley scattered the visitors for 49 on the first day: Notts fared better, Daft 13 and Shrewsbury 29 not out being the principal contributors to Notts’ total of 87. In their second innings, the Yorkshire men gave a greatly improved performance. Wisden thought that Shaw and Morley were badly supported in the field: Notts began to slip, and at the close of the second day they were 3 for three. Wisden commented briskly: ‘On the third day, the attendance was slack, the cricket brief, and the end a frightful fiasco for Notts.’ At 25 for four, the umpire decided long-stop, Thewlis, had caught out Daft. The umpire was Cornelius Coward. Notts declined to 58 all out to give Yorkshire victory by 87 runs. Back to the match between the same counties at Sheffield at the end of May, which Notts went on to win comfortably. In pleasant weather, each side had completed an innings by the end of the first day – Yorkshire 89, Notts 84. On the second day, Yorkshire’s dismissal for 107 left Notts 112 to win. Their openers, Wyld and William Oscroft took the score to 12, when Wyld played a delivery from Allan Hill to mid-off, Ullathorne. He returned the ball to Pinder, the wicket-keeper, who tossed it up to Hill. Hill, seeing that Oscroft had not regained his crease, put down the wicket: the umpire, Coward, gave Oscroft out. Oscroft protested vehemently, but unavailingly, and walked off the ground, accompanied by Wyld, and was followed after an interval by the fielding side. A delay of half an hour occurred – the spectators overflowed onto the ground demanding a resumption of play. At length, of course, common sense prevailed and Oscroft had to go. As The Times put it: ‘The whole thing hangs on whether the ball was finally settled in the wicket-keeper’s hands or not. The Yorkshire men aver that Pinder received a signal from Allan Hill to shy it over and he threw the ball with the intention of running Oscroft out. Coward was the Gentlemen and Players 69