Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

name. He played for Kent v Notts and got a wicket or two, but he was no use against Richard Daft with his sure and graceful play. One ball hit Richard on the foot and hurt him considerably, and he turned to me in his most superior way, “This is not cricket, my Lord, this is not cricket.”’ Notts returned south i-n mid-July, to play Middlesex on a perfect wicket. They amassed 368, which gave them a first-innings lead of 219. Richard batted with the utmost care until he had amassed 96, when he was lbw to C.K.Francis. He had batted for four hours, hitting one five and four fours. Middlesex followed on and were all out for 290, leaving Notts only 71 to win and with Richard contributing an undefeated 24, they won by nine wickets. He did not reach fifty again until the last match of the season, against Yorkshire at Sheffield in a drawn match. He had continued to compile useful scores, 20 and 44, in a defeat by Surrey at The Oval, 24 and 38 in an innings defeat by Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge, and eight and 34 there when Kent did not have to bat a second time to win the match. At Cheltenham, Notts were trounced again. After Gloucestershire had hit up the moderate score of 235, the visitors twice collapsed against W.G. In the second innings, when they followed on, Richard held himself back for some reason, and while wicket after Notts wicket fell, so his wrath increased. At last he went in and as F.S.Ashley-Cooper put it, ‘those who had been tempted (by W.G.) and fallen, watched his approach to the wicket with sympathy and no little interest.’ Almost at once, Richard was out, caught Gilbert bowled W.G.Grace for 0, in W.G.’s famous square-leg trap: five Notts wickets fell at the same total and in 17 deliveries, W.G. took seven wickets without a run scored from his bowling, to finish with match figures of 17 for 89. The final match of the season versus Yorkshire at Bramall Lane was ruined, with the first day totally washed out and the second day very miserable. Notts scored 110, Daft making six: Yorkshire replied with 145. Daft made 53 out of a second-innings total of 143 and Yorkshire batted out the final twenty overs, making 49 for one. Richard took his fiftieth first-class wicket during this match. The summer’s results must have pained John Johnson, the former County Club secretary and a Nottingham solicitor for so long as he lived. His death occurred on 5 August, 1877. A very rich man, he was generous to Richard, leaving him £500, as well as £500 on trust to Richard Parr Daft, aged 13, whose godfather Johnson had 80 Notts Without Shaw