| Charles Richardson | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Fullname: | Charles Augustus Richardson |
| Birth Date: | 22 February 1864 |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, Australia |
| Death Place: | Waipara, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Family: | William Richardson (brother) |
| Club1: | New South Wales |
| Year1: | 1886-87 to 1894-95 |
| Club2: | Wellington |
| Year2: | 1897-98 to 1906-07 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 30 |
| Runs1: | 1079 |
| Bat Avg1: | 25.09 |
| 100S/50S1: | 1/5 |
| Top Score1: | 113 |
| Deliveries1: | 347 |
| Wickets1: | 3 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 64.33 |
| Fivefor1: | 0 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 2/12 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 22/0 |
| Date: | 14 November |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6075/6075.html Cricket Archive |
Charles Augustus Richardson (22 February 1864 – 17 August 1949) was an Australian-born cricketer who captained the New Zealand cricket team and scored its first century. He also scored the world's first first-class century of the 1900s.
Richardson was born in Sydney and attended Sydney Grammar School.[1] He spent several seasons as a batsman in the New South Wales team, scoring 473 runs at an average of 22.52 in 15 matches between 1886–87 and 1894-95. His highest score was 75 not out against South Australia in 1892-93 in his first Sheffield Shield match; it was also the highest score in the match, which New South Wales won by an innings.[2]
Richardson moved to New Zealand late in 1897 to take charge of the New Zealand office of the Mutual Life Association of Australasia,[3] and played his first match for Wellington a few days later, scoring 77 in an innings victory over Canterbury.[4] He was selected to tour Australia with the New Zealand team in 1898-99, but was unable to obtain leave from his work to make the trip.[5]
He captained Wellington in two matches in 1899-1900, and scored 113 in the match against Otago, reaching his century on 1 January 1900, thus becoming the world's first first-class century-maker of the 1900s. He and Frederick Midlane, who reached his century during the previous day's play and ended up scoring 149, added 207 for the fourth wicket.[6]
Richardson played his first match for New Zealand a few weeks later against the touring Melbourne Cricket Club. Although Melbourne did not have first-class status, they were too strong for New Zealand, winning by an innings. In the second innings, Richardson, batting at number three, scored 114 not out in a total of 246, the first time anyone had scored a century for New Zealand.[7] [8]
He was appointed New Zealand's captain for their next series, two matches against Lord Hawke's XI in 1902-03. However, apart from winning the toss in both matches he had little success, scoring 44 runs in two losses by large margins.[9] He did not play for New Zealand again. Dan Reese, who scored a century in the second match, later said, "no more likeable man has led New Zealand sides; he was also an able leader".[10]
Richardson captained Wellington in his last first-class match in 1906-07, against the MCC. For some years he held the record for the number of runs scored in a season of Wellington club cricket: 553.[11] He later served on the selection panel for Wellington.[12]
His younger brother William also played for New South Wales, from 1887 to 1896.[13]