Personalities In Sport

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 305, 16 March 1928, Page 11

Personalities In Sport

The Leader of the A listra lian Cricket XI. in New Zealand

The cricket of Victor Y. Richardson • captain of the Australian eleven at present touring the Dominion, is like the man himself, pleasant and alert. He has shown himself on the tour to be an astute captain and a punishing, forceful batsman, although his •outs" have been more frequent this season than usual. He is a popular man with the crowd and a popular player with cricketers. Richardson is recognised as one of the finest midoffs in the world, and a fine batsman when in form. It seems strange that a man who has led his State eleven for so long, and who has had so distinguished a cricket record, has played for Australia once only—in the season 1924-25, when the English team was touring. He and A. F. Kippax were admittedly unlucky to miss selection in the Australian side to tour England in 1926. but perhaps better fortune will come Richardson's way next season. Richardson is a fine all-round sportsman, and games at which he has won honour are baseball, lacrosse. Australian Rules football, and tennis, as well as cricket. He has had the remarkable distinction of captaining his State at both cricket and football. Educated at Scots College, Adelaide. Richardson played for both the first eleven and the first eighteen (Australian Rules), before he left. He was primarily a batsman in his early days, as he is now. After leaving school he played in Junior Association cricket for one season, and then in the second grade side of the Sturt Cricket Club. About 1914, he went into the first grade team, and in his first season made a couple of centuries. He was a fine field, as well as a dashing batsman. From 1915 to 1918 there was no pennant cricket in Adelaide. Richardson once more took an active part in cricket in 1918. He first played for South Australia in that year, under the captaincy of Clem Hill. In his first match —against Victoria, on the Melbourne Cricket Ground—he made the excellent double of 78 and 48. Since that date, Richardson has played for his State, and for years now has been its batting mainstay. He has scored more runs

• or, his home ground than naturally, but his scores to d vT ae '* other grounds are: Melbourne "• I mags, no not-oats. with the hi?' score 13!>. aggregate Sso, average ; Sydney, 26 innings, one not oi°. ! ost score 13... aggregate 1 o‘S ,s"' average 41.52. Altogether. 'i n class cricket. Richardson has over 3,00 c runs. In 1033 Ricuardson first c nr - | South Australia, and he has side ever since. His best ances were 138 in a Test land in 1924-2.1 at Melbourne i c entLlr - v l: ’ each innings against ystm ;&outh Wales on tie Sydnw C ri3* I around in the same season Thaw* a great batting year for him RicLT son has been distinctly unlucky hTiT batting this season, and with his lowest average in "si,.* Shield cricket—39. Australian Rules football is the fastest games in the world 'trdV raands the most of a man. Rj c VJ; son has been playing first gradeball in Adelaide, for the Sturt Club * 14 years, starting his career in ljn j? > has played at centre all the ti me L* has shown brilliant form. Ho has ! captain of both his club and the SuS : team for about six years. He is , tiring from the game this season *** Inter-State baseball has also had til i «ame of Richardson on its program^! ■ for he has played the game for Sonfi Australia against Victoria. On j urdays from football Richardson ki played first grade lacrosse for the | Club. Not content wit.i this imposing amt ; of games. Richardson this season wii, P. K. Lee, former South Austral> cricketer, was rurner-up in the seco* j open doubles of ;he South Australia- ; lawn tennis tourney. Himself a keen fieldsman. Richard.* - has always stressed the value of field" ing in cricket, for a batsman w> makes 30 runs and loses 30 in thefi 's ■is no good to any side. Any piay- ; can make himself a good fieldsman | and as such he is always a usefu, i cricketer. In batting, defence shoiA be cultivate s before the attackir.. I strokes are developed. The foundatior • of batting is defence.