Alfred Richards (sportsman)

Alf Richards
Date of birth	14 December 1867
Place of birth	Grahamstown, South Africa
Date of death	September 1, 1904 (aged 36)
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Inside centre; Fly-half
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
	Western Province
International career
Years	Team
1891	South Africa
	Correct as of 15 October 2007

Alfred Richards
Personal information
Full name	Alfred Renfrew Richards
Batting	Right-hand bat
Bowling	-
International information
National side	South African;
Career statistics
	Source: Cricinfo

Alfred Renfrew Richards (14 December 1867 – 9 January 1904), was a South African sportsman who represented his country at Test cricket and rugby union. He was capped three times for South Africa in rugby, including captaining them once and made one Test cricket appearance.

Richards was born in Grahamstown, Cape Colony. He 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.

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. He died in Salisbury, Rhodesia in 1904.

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

He died at Harare, Zimbabwe (then Salisbury, Rhodesia).

External links

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

See also

External links