Jack Richards (cricketer, born 1918)

Jack Richards

Personal information
Full name	John Lawson Richards
Born	(1918-10-06)6 October 1918 Williton, Somerset, England
Died	2 November 1944(1944-11-02) (aged 26) Gelderland, German-occupied Netherlands
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1939	Cambridge University
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 1 Runs scored 0 Batting average 0 100s/50s –/– Top score 0 Balls bowled 50 Wickets – Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling 0/18 Catches/stumpings 0/0
Source: Cricinfo, 6 August 2020

John Lawson Richards (6 October 1918 – 2 November 1944) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

Born in Williton in October 1918, Richards was educated at Monmouth School and Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he played several sports, including cricket.[1] He entered Selwyn College in 1938, where he read mathematics.[1] Between 24-26 May 1939, Richards made his only first-class appearance for Cambridge against Yorkshire, in which he was bowled twice for a duck and did not gain any runs.[2][3]

On 8 June 1940, seven months after the outbreak of the Second World War, Richards was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, in which he was involved in bomb disposal.[1][4] During leave periods in 1941 and 1942, he appeared for Cambridge in six wartime cricket matches.[5] Richards was killed in the Netherlands on 2 November 1944 and is buried at Jonkerbos War Cemetery.[1][6]

References

1. McCrery, Nigel (2017). The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. pp. 531–535. ISBN 978-1-52670-695-9.
2. "First-Class Matches played by Jack Richards". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
3. "Cambridge University v Yorkshire in 1939". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
4. "No. 34872". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 1940. p. 3594.
5. "Miscellaneous Matches played by Jack Richards". CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
6. "Casualty Details: John Lawson Richards". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 6 August 2020.