Kent v Australia 1964: Richardson hits two tons

The Australians' 1964 visit to Canterbury followed immediately on from a defeat by Essex, one of three that they suffered at the hands of the counties during their tour, writes Kent honorary curator David Robertson.

Led by Bobby Simpson, an outstanding opening batsman, they achieved their main objective of retaining the Ashes. But with a team that was described as “experimental”, having eight newcomers in the party of seventeen, they won only 14 of their 36 games, despite enjoying a summer of fine weather.

Seven of their batsmen scored well in excess of 1,000 runs with the Captain topping the averages. In the somewhat controversial Old Trafford Test, with the tourists requiring only a draw to retain the Ashes, he scored a triple hundred out of a total of 656-8 declared.

England fell just 45 runs short of equalling that score, by which time there was only five minutes left for Australia to bat a second time. Given sunny weather throughout, spectators were somewhat unhappy at having witnessed more than 28 hours of cricket before both first innings were completed.

Led by Colin Cowdrey, Kent were in the early stages of emerging from their post-war years of struggle into one of the most exciting and successful sides of the late sixties the seventies.

A good Championship season, with nine wins, had seen them finish in seventh place, their highest position since 1947. For a large part of the season they occupied a place among the top four, but without ever being in a position to challenge for the title.

Brian Luckhurst, Alan Knott and Derek Underwood were firmly established whilst there were others, who were to become household names, awaiting their call.

As usual at that time, Kent’s Championship programme had been completed before the Tourists arrived. The team included Bob Wilson, that year’s beneficiary who had enjoyed an outstanding season with over 2,000 runs. He is the last Kent batsman to reach that landmark.

The game was played in ideal conditions with Kent choosing to bat first. Peter Richardson, who had missed the last six games through injury opened the innings with Ted Fillary. They set the tone with a partnership of 164 before Richardson was dismissed for 111 a few minutes after lunch.

He was lbw to Neil Hawke, whose 83 wickets during the tour placed him top of the Tourist’s bowling averages. Three runs later Fillary was caught in the gully. The speed of scoring was not affected by these two quick dismissals. Cowdrey and Wilson added 122, all but four of the runs coming between lunch and tea, with Cowdrey hitting a faultless 90. Such was the speed of scoring that the visitors used eight bowlers.

The Australian’s innings was equally entertaining, with Bill Lawry, Jack Potter and off-spinner Tom Veivers all passing the fifty mark, before the declaration on 354-8. Veivers’ 79 came off 48 balls during which he hit 43 runs off twelve successive deliveries.

A second century by Peter Richardson, only the second batsman to score two hundreds against the Australians (Cowdrey being the first to do so three years earlier) and undefeated fifties from the captain and Brian Luckhurst, enabled the hosts to declare on 258-3.

This left the visitors three hours and fifteen minutes to score 251 for victory. Lawry followed up his first innings half century with an undefeated 101 and despite Ian Redpath being dismissed by John Dye without scoring, Lawry and Norman O’Neill, who hit an attractive 110 in even time, kept well ahead of the required rate.

With twelve minutes to spare and in glorious sunshine, Veivers and Lawry won their final county game.

A scoreline that was to become familiar to Kent and England supporters in the years ahead, “caught Knott bowled Underwood” appeared three times in the game. Underwood was awarded his County Cap during the tea interval on day two.