Cricketing Curiosities.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7268, 22 July 1893, Page 3

Cricketing Curiosities.

In a match between Surrey and Gloucestershire at Bennington Oval on June Ist, a young Surrey player named Richardson created sensation. Richardson is a bowler, and in Gloucester’s first innings he performed the “ hat trick.” It was his batting as last man in, however, that caused the excitement. Rarely in the history of cricket, says one account of the match, has there been a more exciting hour than that which was spent by the audience at the Oval yesterday during the final stage of Surrey’s first innings, Gloucestershire, with the notable exception of Dr Grace, who batted with faultless skill and power, had failed to do much, and on a tricky wicket and with bowling of almost perfect pitch and accuracy the Surrey men were doing very badly. Six wickets were down for 75 runs, and then a serious disaster occurred. Three of the best Surrey men went down one after the other without a run being secured. This made nine wickets down tor seventy-five, and there only remained the great bowler, young Richardson, andj Brook well for his companion. Richardson is very strong, and ho now and then developes powers of rather fiery slogging But he has rarely made a score running into double figures, and everybody expected that the end would come in one or two overs. As it happened, the tenth wicket added 105 runs —almost, if not quite, a record performance —and credited more to the Surrey score than all the other wickets put together. Richardson’s play was simply astonishing. Using his great height and long reach with perfect ease and grace, he sent ball after ball to the boundary, scoring fours as easily as if he had been accustomed to play crack bowling all his life. Brookwell kept up his wicket, and contrary to custom, played a very patient game, while Richardson hit away like fury. Nearly a hundred runs were made in an hour, and every hall that was at all pitched up went spinning to the boundary, or very near it, most of the best hits being made on the on’eide. The score went up and up, the cheering growing more furious at every fresh advance. Bichsrdsou was cheered for bringing the score up to 100, cheered for catching up the Gloucestershire figures, cheered for obtaining the top score on his side and finally in the match, and cheered for every big hit he made. Towards the close of the innings he played with more care, and showed an admirable defence as well as great powers of hitting. He gave no chances, though some of bis hits were rather high and in dangerous quarters. When at last he was caught out Surrey, instead of being thirty behind the Gloucestershire score, was seventy-five runs ahead, and the whole complexion of the game was changed. The young player—he is only 21 —had an extraordinary ovation when he got back to the pavilion--In a match at Trent Bridge, between Notts and Somerset, the score at the close of the third innings was Notts 292 and 278 ; Somerset 160- In Somerset’s second innings six wickets were down for 75. Then Shaoklock surpassed the hat trick, taking four wickets with as many balls, and thus finished the day’s | plcy before lunch.