Alfred Richards (sportsman)

Alfred Renfrew Richards (14 December 1867 – 9 January 1904), was a South African sportsman who represented his country at Test cricket and rugby union.[1][2] Born in Grahamstown, Cape Colony and educated at The Leys School in Cambridge, Richards was capped three times for South Africa in rugby, including captaining them once and made one Test cricket appearance.[3]

Alfred Richards
Personal information
Full nameAlfred Renfrew Richards
Born(1867-12-14)14 December 1867
Grahamstown, South Africa
Died9 January 1904(1904-01-09) (aged 36)
Salisbury, Rhodesia
BattingRight-hand bat
Bowling–
International information
National side
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 1 9
Runs scored 6 346
Batting average 3.00 23.06
100s/50s 0/0 1/1
Top score 6 108
Balls bowled – –
Wickets – –
Bowling average – –
5 wickets in innings – –
10 wickets in match – –
Best bowling – –
Catches/stumpings -/- 13/2
Source: Cricinfo
Rugby career
Rugby union career
Position(s) Inside centre
Fly-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Villager Football Club ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1890–1895 Western Province ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1891 South Africa 3

Cricket career

Richards played for Western Province in some of the earliest provincial matches in South Africa, and in 1893–94, his 108 was the highest score as his team beat Natal to win the Currie Cup.

His next first-class match was against "Lord Hawke's XI" in 1895–96 and his 58, scored out of a total of 122, won him selection for the third representative match of the series, retrospectively accorded Test match status. Richards captained the side, but scored only 6 and 0 as South Africa lost by an innings and 33 runs. He never played first-class cricket again.[1]

Rugby career

Richards made his international rugby debut for South Africa in 1891, the year that the British Isles rugby team came to South Africa for the very first time. He made his debut on 30 July in Port Elizabeth. South Africa were outscored three tries to nil, and Great Britain won the match 4 points to nil. He was capped again on 29 August in Kimberley, which Great Britain also won, 3 to nil.

On 5 September, he was chosen as the captain to lead South Africa out against Great Britain once again, in Cape Town at Newlands. The tourists also won the match, four points to nil. Richards did not play for South Africa again after the tour. Richards did however referee one match in 1896, when Britain returned, at Newlands, which South Africa won five points to nil.[2]

Test history
No.OpponentsResults(SA 1st)PositionTriesDateVenue
1. British Isles0–4Centre30 Jul 1891 Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth
2. British Isles0–3Halfback29 Aug 1891Eclectic Cricket Ground, Kimberley
3. British Isles0–4Centre (c)5 Sep 1891Newlands, Cape Town

Personal

Richards' older brothers, Dicky and Joseph, also played cricket for Western Province and Dicky appeared in one Test match in 1888–89.

He died at Salisbury, Rhodesia, of typhoid fever.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Alfred Richards". Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. "Alfred Renfrew Richards". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. Dobson, Paul (1995). 30 Super Springboks (1st ed.). Cape Town: Human & Rousseau. pp. 11–18. ISBN 0-7981-3411-9. OCLC 37966584.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Bob Snedden		 Springbok Captain
1891		 Succeeded by
Ferdie Aston
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