Arthur Walker Richardson (4 March 1907 – 29 July 1983) was an English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er who played first-class cricket for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

between 1928 and 1936. He captained the Derbyshire team between 1931 and 1936, concluding with Derbyshire's first victory in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It b ...

. Richardson was born at

Quarndon Quarndon is a linear village in the south of the Amber Valley District of Derbyshire, England. It is spread along four minor upland roads, approximately 1 mile north of the Derby suburb of Allestree, two of which lead towards the city. Many t ...

, Derbyshire. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and in a match against

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...

scored 117 for the Winchester XI in a partnership of 295.Wisden Obituaries 1983
/ref> At the start of the 1928 season he made his debut for Derbyshire against the West Indies. In his first three seasons he managed a highest score of 70 and his best seasonal average was 25. He became Derbyshire captain in the 1931 season and led his team to 7th in the points table. In the 1932 season he scored 1,258 runs with an average of 29.95 and made his highest score of 90 against

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, although the team fell back to 10th in the Championship. He led the team progressively up to sixth in the 1933 season, third in the 1934 season, and second in the 1935 season with 16 wins. In the 1936 season the club won the

winning 13 matches. He was supported by batsmen

Stan Worthington Thomas Stanley Worthington (21 August 1905 – 31 August 1973) was a cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1923 and 1947 and for England between 1930 and 1937. He was an all-rounder, scoring over 19000 runs and taking over 600 first-class ...

, Leslie Townsend, Denis Smith and

Albert Alderman Albert Edward Alderman (30 October 1907 – 6 June 1990) was an English cricketer and footballer. He played cricket for Derbyshire between 1928 and 1948 and scored over 12,000 runs for the club. As a footballer, he played as an inside forward f ...

each of whom scored over a thousand runs and several centuries.

Bill Copson William Henry Copson (27 April 1908 – 14 September 1971) was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire County Cricket Club between 1932 and 1950, and for England between 1939 and 1947. He took over 1,000 wickets for Derbyshire, and was pro ...

Tommy Mitchell Thomas Bignall Mitchell (4 September 1902 – 27 January 1996) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1928 and 1939. A leg spin bowler, he was the most successful slow bowler in the history of a county better ...

, Alf Pope and Leslie Townsend accounted for most of the wickets taken. Richardson finished his cricket career at the end of the 1936 season.Arthur Richardson at Cricket Archive
/ref> Wisden stated that he achieved much by his own enthusiasm and warm personality. Richardson was a right-handed middle order batsman and played 239 innings in 159 matches with an average of 19.05 and a top score of 90. As a batsman, he was considered rather ungainly but solid and he scored mainly on the leg. As a fielder he was a good mid-off. He only bowled 34 balls in his first-class career taking no wickets. Richardson died at

Ednaston Brailsford () is a small red-brick village and civil parish in Derbyshire on the A52 midway between Derby and Ashbourne. The parish also includes Brailsford Green. The civil parish population at the 2011 Census was 1,118. The village has a pub ...

, Derbyshire at the age of 76. His son William Richardson and grandson Alastair Richardson also played for Derbyshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Arthur W 1907 births 1983 deaths People educated at Winchester College English cricketers Derbyshire cricket captains People from Quarndon Cricketers from Derbyshire English cricketers of 1919 to 1945