Charles Richardson (cricketer, born 1864)
{{short description|New Zealand cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Charles Richardson
| image = Charlie Richardson.png
| caption =
| country = New Zealand
| fullname = Charles Augustus Richardson
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1864|2|22|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Sydney, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1949|8|17|1864|2|22|df=yes}}
| death_place = Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling =
| family = William Richardson (brother)
| club1 = New South Wales
| year1 = 1886-87 to 1894-95
| club2 = Wellington
| year2 = 1897-98 to 1906-07
| columns = 1
| column1 = First-class
| matches1 = 30
| runs1 = 1079
| bat avg1 = 25.09
| 100s/50s1 = 1/5
| top score1 = 113
| deliveries1 = 347
| wickets1 = 3
| bowl avg1 = 64.33
| fivefor1 = 0
| tenfor1 = 0
| best bowling1 = 2/12
| catches/stumpings1= 22/0
| date = 14 November
| year = 2014
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6075/6075.html Cricket Archive
}}
Charles Augustus Richardson (22 February 1864 – 17 August 1949) was an Australian-born cricketer who captained the New Zealand cricket team and scored its first century. He also scored the world's first first-class century of the 1900s.
Early career
Richardson was born in Sydney and attended Sydney Grammar School.{{cite journal |title=Our Portrait Gallery |journal=The Bird O' Freedom |date=18 January 1896 |page=1 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207807495}} He spent several seasons as a batsman in the New South Wales team, scoring 473 runs at an average of 22.52 in 15 matches between 1886–87 and 1894-95. His highest score was 75 not out against South Australia in 1892-93 in his first Sheffield Shield match; it was also the highest score in the match, which New South Wales won by an innings.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/3/3910.html| title = New South Wales v South Australia 1892-93| publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 20 April 2015}}
Richardson moved to New Zealand late in 1897 to take charge of the New Zealand office of the Mutual Life Association of Australasia,{{cite news | work=Otago Witness | date=23 December 1897 | page=38 | title= Notes by Slip| url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18971223.2.96.1| issue=2286}} and played his first match for Wellington a few days later, scoring 77 in an innings victory over Canterbury.Wisden 1950, p. 912. He was selected to tour Australia with the New Zealand team in 1898-99, but was unable to obtain leave from his work to make the trip.Don Neely & Richard Payne, Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985, Moa, Auckland, 1986, p. 40.
He captained Wellington in two matches in 1899-1900, and scored 113 in the match against Otago, reaching his century on 1 January 1900, thus becoming the world's first first-class century-maker of the 1900s. He and Frederick Midlane, who reached his century during the previous day's play and ended up scoring 149, added 207 for the fourth wicket.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/5/5367.html| title = Wellington v Otago 1899-00| publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 20 April 2015}}
Playing for New Zealand
Richardson played his first match for New Zealand a few weeks later against the touring Melbourne Cricket Club. Although Melbourne did not have first-class status, they were too strong for New Zealand, winning by an innings. In the second innings, Richardson, batting at number three, scored 114 not out in a total of 246, the first time anyone had scored a century for New Zealand.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/131/131815.html| title = New Zealand v Melbourne Cricket Club 1899-00| publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 21 April 2015}}{{cite journal |title=Mr C. A. Richardson |journal=Otago Daily Times |date=20 August 1949 |page=8 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19490820.2.136}}
He was appointed New Zealand's captain for their next series, two matches against Lord Hawke's XI in 1902-03. However, apart from winning the toss in both matches he had little success, scoring 44 runs in two losses by large margins.Neely & Payne, pp. 43-44. He did not play for New Zealand again. Dan Reese, who scored a century in the second match, later said, "no more likeable man has led New Zealand sides; he was also an able leader".Dan Reese, Was It All Cricket?, George Allen & Unwin, London, 1948, p. 145.
Later career
Richardson captained Wellington in his last first-class match in 1906-07, against the MCC. For some years he held the record for the number of runs scored in a season of Wellington club cricket: 553.Auckland Star, 27 November 1913, p. 2. He later served on the selection panel for Wellington.Free Lance, 20 February 1909, p. 18.
His younger brother William also played for New South Wales, from 1887 to 1896.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6078/6078.html| title = William Richardson| publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 22 April 2015}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6075/6075.html Charles Richardson] at CricketArchive
- [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/7336.html Charles Richardson] at Cricinfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Charles}}
Category:People educated at Sydney Grammar School
Category:Australian cricketers
Category:New Zealand cricketers
Category:Pre-1930 New Zealand representative cricketers
Category:New South Wales cricketers
Category:Wellington cricketers