The son of the cricketer and clergyman William Richards, he was born in February 1865 at Grays, Essex. He was educated at Eton College,[1] where he played for the college cricket eleven and won the Public School Racket with Ralph Pemberton.[1][2] From there, he matriculated to Jesus College, Cambridge.[3] During the summer break which followed his freshman year at Cambridge, Richards made his first-class debut for Hampshire against Sussex at Southampton in 1884, with him making a further appearance that season against Somerset.[4]
After graduating from Cambridge, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Hampshire Regiment in December 1886.[5] Richards served with the Burmese Expedition from 1887 to 1889, during which he was slightly injured. He was made a supernumerary captain in July 1893,[6] before seeing action in the Second Boer War.[1] After arrival in South Africa in early 1900, he took part in the battles of Paardeberg, Poplar Grove, Karee, Brandfort and de Vet and Zand Rivers; and the occupation of the Boer capitals Bloemfontein and Pretoria. He was District Commander at Hoopstad from June 1900 until April 1901,[3] was mentioned in despatches and received the Queen's South Africa Medal (with three clasps).[7] Following the end of hostilities in early June 1902, he left Cape Town on board the SS Orotava,[8] and arrived at Southampton the next month. From November 1902 he was an adjutant in the 5th (Isle of Wight Princess Beatrice's) Volunteer Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment,[9][10] before being promoted to the full rank of captain in 1905.[3] He retired from active service in July of the same year.[11]
Since playing for Hampshire in 1884, the county had lost and later regained its first-class status. Richards returned to play for Hampshire in the 1903 County Championship against Essex, before making a final appearance in the 1904 County Championship against Sussex.[4] In four first-class matches, he scored 104 runs at an average of 17.33, with a highest score of 47.[12] With his right-arm slow bowling, he took three wickets.[13] He later returned to military service in the First World War, being appointed a railway transportation officer at Woolwich.[3] In July 1916, he was made a commandant of a prisoner-of-war camp and was appointed a temporary lieutenant colonel whilst holding that command.[14] After the end of the war, he was made an OBE in December 1919, to be antedated to June 1919.[15] Richards died at Nottingham in November 1930.[16]