Peter Richardson

Peter Edward Richardson (4 July 1931 – 17 February 2017) was an English cricketer, who played for Worcestershire and Kent County Cricket Clubs and in 34 Test matches for the England cricket team.

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 teammates. His love of a prank continued after his playing days with outrageous letters from fictitious Colonel Blimps to The Daily Telegraph."

Life and career 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 a 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. His other brother, Bryan, was an occasional player for Warwickshire.