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, also as captain.^[3]

Alfred Richards

Personal information
Full name	Alfred Renfrew Richards
Born	(1867-12-14)14 December 1867 Grahamstown, Cape Colony
Died	9 January 1904(1904-01-09) (aged 36) Salisbury, Rhodesia
Batting	Right-handed
International information
National side	South Africa
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 0/– 13/2
Source: Cricinfo
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 () International career 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 came when he captained Western Province against the touring Lord Hawke's XI in 1895–96, when his 58, scored out of a total of 122, won him selection for the third Test match of the series, which followed a few days later.^[4] Richards captained the Test side, but scored only 6 and 0 as South Africa lost by an innings and 33 runs.^[5] 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.	Opponents	Results(SA 1st)	Position	Tries	Date	Venue
1.	British Isles	0–4	Centre		30 Jul 1891	Crusaders Ground, Port Elizabeth
2.	British Isles	0–3	Halfback		29 Aug 1891	Eclectic Cricket Ground, Kimberley
3.	British Isles	0–4	Centre (c)		5 Sep 1891	Newlands, 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, in January 1904, aged 36.^[3]

See also

• List of footballers (rugby union) by country
• South African rugby union captains
• List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 6

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.
4. "Western Province v Lord Hawke's XI 1895-96". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
5. "3rd Test, Cape Town, March 21 - 23, 1896, England tour of South Africa". Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 July 2022.

Sporting positions
Preceded by Bob Snedden	Springbok Captain 1891	Succeeded by Ferdie Aston

External links

• Alf Richards on the Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame
• Referee data
• Alfred Richards at ESPNcricinfo
• Alfred Richards at CricketArchive (subscription required)