Tom Richardson

Tom Richardson (born August 11, 1870, Byfleet, Surrey; died July 2, 1912, Chambéry, France) was one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and certainly the most prolific in terms of wicket-taking feats, largely owing to his amazing stamina and appetite for work, which allowed him to gain remarkable success under conditions that were far too much for almost all other bowlers of his time.

Later career

Affected in May by injury and unable to contain his excessive drinking and increasing weight, Richardson declined still more sharply in 1899. Though after he returned to the Surrey eleven he produced some impressive performances (notably against Kent at the Oval), Richardson astonishingly failed to take even 100 wickets for the season. As a result he was out of the running for Test selection, and the benefit Surrey gave him for his remarkable service between 1893 and 1897 was much less lucrative than everybody had hoped despite Surrey winning th Championship.

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However, Richardson showed some improvement in 1900, increasing his haul of wickets from 98 to 122 and bowling as well as ever at Leyton, whilst in 1901 on the best of wickets almost throughout the year he was the same tireless, honest worker of his prime years, taking 159 wickets including excellent performances against the South Africans (11 for 125) and Yorkshire (7 for 105 in one innings). The following two summers were all against fast bowlers, and Richardson naturally suffered. He still remained a strenuous worker, and when helped by the pitch (as at Sheffield in 1903) Richardson could still show glimpses of the great mid-1890s bowler. Nonetheless, it was clear to all who observed him that his weight would catch up with him soon, and in 1904 Richardson bowled so ineffectively that he was dropped at the end of May and not re-engaged by Surrey at the end of the year.

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At the time he lived in Bath, and played once for Somerset in 1905, but it was clear from his failure then that he could no longer play serious cricket. Indeed, for the rest of his life the strain of weight gain took such a toll of Richardson that he died from a heart attack at the young age of 41, whilst on a summer holiday in France.

Related Topics:
Bath - Heart attack

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