Lives in Cricket No 7 - Richard Daft

up their performance, while ‘ Green Lilly’ commented that Richard’s captaincy, too, was a good deal better than before. Notts’ own season did not begin until 3 June when they met Surrey at Trent Bridge. By the end of three days of heavy and frequent showers, Notts with eight wickets in hand required only 14 to win. Richard, opening the innings, was bowled for three. Alfred Shaw had ten wickets and Fred Morley seven. Surrey were left 85 to win, and Daft did not bat in the second innings, with rain interrupting play. Going on to Old Trafford, Notts easily beat Lancashire by five wickets. Fred Morley took nine wickets. Richard made 12, batting at eight, and was bowled for a single in the second innings. Back at Trent Bridge ten days later, Notts beat Yorkshire by two wickets – Yorkshire 66 and 84, Notts 98 and 53 for eight. Richard’s 25 was the highest score for his side. Shaw and Morley took all 18 Yorkshire wickets to fall to bowlers. Next, to Lord’s for victory against Middlesex; Shaw and Morley bowled almost unchanged, with Morley capturing 12 for 81. Richard’s score was one in Notts’ first innings. Back at Trent Bridge, the sides’ totals were Lancashire 72 and 46 and Notts 66 and 54 for six, resulting in a great win for Notts by four wickets. The only score exceeding 20 in the match was by Alec Watson, the Lancashire slow bowler, batting at ten, who hit 29. Richard scored nought and two not out, Alfred Shaw secured eight victims, and Fred Morley 10. Ten days later, Notts were at The Oval. Play was delayed until nearly one o’clock on the first day, but at the close and in the wet, Notts, headed by Richard who batted finely for 47, were 208 for six: they climbed to 266 on the second day. Wind and a hot sun following on the rain of the previous day had caused the pitch to be in a very bad state when Surrey began their brief, but memorable innings. Sensation followed. In the course of 39.2 four-ball overs, twenty-eight of them maidens, Morley and Shaw put Surrey out for 16. Shaw returned three for six and Morley seven for nine, with one extra, a leg bye. As ‘ Green Lilly’ put it, Notts were lucky to win the toss, and on paper the Surrey batting – five of them scored centuries for the county in their careers – was by no means weak. Surrey’s total has remained the lowest innings total at this ground, one of course rather better known for high scoring. When the opposition played up more to form at their second attempt, Richard introduced Barnes and Flowers at exactly the right Triumph and Tribulation 97