Peter Richardson (cricketer)

Peter Richardson

Personal information
Full name	Peter Edward Richardson
Born	(1931-07-04)4 July 1931 Hereford, England
Died	17 February 2017(2017-02-17) (aged 85) Ashford, Kent
Batting style	Left-handed
Bowling style	Right arm off spin
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 382)	7 June 1956 v Australia
Last Test	9 July 1963 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1959–1965	Kent
1949–1958	Worcestershire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class List A Matches 34 454 3 Runs scored 2,061 26,055 168 Batting average 37.47 34.60 56.00 100s/50s 5/9 44/140 1/0 Top score 126 185 127 Balls bowled 120 763 – Wickets 3 11 – Bowling average 16.00 45.36 – 5 wickets in innings – – – 10 wickets in match – – – Best bowling 2/10 2/10 – Catches/stumpings 6/– 220/– 0/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 20 July 2009

Peter Edward Richardson (4 July 1931 – 17 February 2017) was an English cricketer, who played for Worcestershire, Kent and, in 34 Tests, for England.

Colin Bateman, the one-time Daily Express cricket correspondent, noted, "Peter Richardson was one of cricket's great characters...off the field he was a one-man entertainment show, particularly when the troops were stuck in some up-country billet in India. His sense of humour and sharp mind enlivened many a dull official function to the delight of his team-mates. His love of a prank continued after his playing days with outrageous letters from fictitious Colonel Blimps to The Daily Telegraph."

A left-handed opening batsman, Richardson played as an amateur for Worcestershire and was a near-instant success on his arrival as a regular in the side in 1952. Four years later, he had a similarly quick impact in his first Test series, the 1956 Ashes series, scoring 81 and 73 in his first match, and following it up with 104 at Old Trafford in a match famous for Jim Laker's 19 wickets. He went on to score 491 Test runs that year, the most in the world. He was first choice opening batsman for England for a further two home series, but then had a poor series in Australia in 1958–59, when England lost the Ashes comprehensively. He was voted one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1957.

In the summer of 1958, Richardson announced that he wanted to become a professional and to move to Kent. Worcestershire opposed the move, and Richardson was effectively barred from competitive cricket during the English 1959 season, losing his Test place too while he waited to qualify for his new county. By the time he resumed his county career in 1960 other left-handed opening batsmen, such as Geoff Pullar and Raman Subba Row, had moved ahead of him in the competition for England places.

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