Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

Chapter Fourteen Arrival of the Australians Richard was destined to play the last seasons of his career in sub-standard English summers, ‘unpleasant’ to spectators and ‘disgusting’ to batsmen, in the words of ‘ Green Lill y’, but Shaw and Morley excelled in the damp conditions. So in 1878, Notts were back to their best with their great attacker, Alfred Shaw, returning like a giant refreshed. Morley captured 126 wickets at 9.92 each, while Shaw seized 92 for 11.70 runs each. Flowers and Barnes gave economical support. In all, Notts took part in fourteen championship matches, a match against the Australians (the first of their tour) and two matches against the recently re-formed Leicestershire county club. These last two were not considered as first-class. The Australians had embarked on a lengthy tour, starting with games in Australia, moving on to New Zealand, and sailing to San Francisco. After crossing the United States, they sailed from New York for Liverpool, where they landed on 13 May. By midday they were in Nottingham. An immense crowd of people had gathered at the railway station and the streets were lined by upwards of 8,000 spectators. Many of them expressed disappointment at the colour of the visitors, whom they evidently expected to find black. Within two hours of being toasted in champagne and hearing their captain, Dave Gregory, make the first of his many speeches on the tour, the Australians were practising at Trent Bridge. The day of the game, 20 May, dawned bright and sunny but with dark clouds in the offing. T.P.Horan, a member of the eleven and later a well-known journalist, noted that the Notts side was strong and that it ‘included Richard Daft, an experienced and great batsman on the verge of retiring from the game.’ After the umpires had selected the strip for play, David Gregory won the toss for the visitors and chose to go in. The batting proved unmemorable and in 72.3 four-ball overs, the Australians were put out for only 63. At short slip, Richard neatly caught T.W.Garrett. After yet more rain, both Oscroft and Richard were dismissed with the score on ten, 82