Cricket 1911

J u n e 3, 1911. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 20 1 A Chat about the Norfolk Team, The side which won the Minor Counties’ Championship last year was, in the main, a young one ; and in that fact there is much of happy augury for the future of Norfolk cricket. In the event of any of the schemes for dividing the present first-class counties into two sections coming to pass—one is not sanguine that this will happen, but it might do—two or three of the second-class shires are sure to be offered places in the lower division, and among these, if the promise of 1910 be borne out, should certainly be Norfolk. It is another matter whether those who control the destinies of the East Anglian county desire promotion, or would take it if offered. There can be no bigger mistake than to suppose that all the so-called minor counties are burning with ambition to sit in the seats of the mighty. Those who look after their interests are very well aware of the big responsibilities entailed by promotion ; and in many cases they would prefer to go on in the old way, shunning the limelight of first-class cricket, but continuing to give their small bands of supporters good sport, and their players, mostly amateurs,pleasant and well-fought matches. All of them would welcome more spectators, naturally ; but some of them know well that the increased gate and subscribers’ list necessary in the event of promotion would never materialise. This applies certainly to most of the agricultural counties. Staffordshire has a thickly-clustered population to draw upon. Glamorganshire possesses two big towns ; but the football crowds of Cardiff and Swansea have not yet taken enthusiastically to cricket. At Norwich, Reading, Sunderland, spectators might roll up in their thousands to see Yorkshire or Kent play ; but one doubts it. Whether Norfolk ever becomes first-class or no—and it is as near that honour now as it has been for a quarter of a century or so, in the great days of the Jarvis brothers— the county should do well for some years to come if it can only keep together the keen band of players who now represent it. Its most brilliant batsman, Geoffrey Stevens, was dealt with in C r i c k e t a fortnight ago ; now, in pre­ senting portraits of three other members of the side, we propose to give a few details concerning them and their colleagues. First and foremost, though his counterfeit presentment is not given here, is the captain, the Reverend George Barkley Raikes. Mr. Raikes has been something very like a mascot to Norfolk. He had a great deal to do with its two championships (in 1905 and 1910), and the side has almost always fared well when he has been in it. Born in March, 1873, Mr. Raikes was one of the best all-round men Shrewsbury had for many years ; he was playing for Norfolk three seasons before he left school ; afterwards he won his blue at Oxford, and later, from 1900 to 1902, played in a few matches for Hampshire. Some talk arose a year or two back of his representing Notts. There are few counties who would not be glad to give him a place ; but, even if he has completed his qualification for the Midland shire, it is not likely that he will leave his old love now. In 1904 Mr. Raikes came back to the Norfolk team after a considerable absence, averaged 43, with a highest score of 145, and took 21 wickets at under 17 each ; in 1905 he averaged 47, and had 27 wickets at under 16 each. Then he was away from the team for three seasons, and in 1909 played seldom. But in 1910 he accepted the captaincy again, and led his men to championship honours. They did not lose a match when he was playing, and seven out of the eight in which he assisted were won in brilliant style. His personal performances were great. Against Suffolk at Norwich he made few runs, but took 9 wickets for 24 in the visitors’ first. Against Beds, at Bedford he ran up 142, Thurgar helping him to add 94 for the fifth wicket, and in the first innings of Beds, he had 6 for 37. Against Notts. Second at Nottingham he scored 36 and 125, Thursby and he sending up 200 before a wicket fell in the second innings ; and in the last stage of the match he took 7 for 46. In the return at Norwich he scored 133, and had a partnership of 137 for the fifth wicket with Birkbeck. This was the first match of the Lakenham Week ; in the second he scored 83 v. Cambs. (Thurgar and he 90 for the first wicket), and took in all 9 wickets for 117. In the third he made 38 and 22 against Beds., and had 5 for 55 in their second innings. Against Cambs. at Cambridge he scored 63 (here Allsopp helped him in a stand of 95 for the seventh wicket), and took 7 for 64 in the match. He did not come off with the bat in the final match v. Berkshire, but with 7 for 82 he did excellent work as a bowler. Thus in eight matches he totalled 679 runs, with an average of nearly 62, and took 57 wickets at under 11 each, easily heading both bowling and batting tables. Originally a fast bowler, Mr. Raikes now bowls slow leg breaks, and has been far more successful with the later type than with the earlier. He has a particularly strong defence, but also plenty of aggression, making strokes all round the wicket in fine style. He is a splendid field, and a most capable captain. There is little wonder that Norfolk cricketers are enthusiastic about the clerical captain of their county team. Though there is no reason why he should not do well for years to come yet, Mr. Raikes cannot, at thirty-eight, be said to have the greater part of his cricket career before him. But this can be said safely of Messrs. Stevens, Birkbeck, Thurgar, Treglown, Cozens-Hardy, Fulcher and Thursby, the seven young amateurs who will form with him the nucleus of the Norfolk batting in 1911. Mr. Cozens- Hardy did not play at all last year ; but he will assist regularly this season, it is said. He is the oldest of the seven, and he is only twenty-six. Born at Norwich on February 4th, 1885, of a well- known Norfolk family, Basil Cozens-Hardy was educated IV.r. B. CO ZEN S-H A RD Y . at Rugby (where he was in the eleven for three seasons, and was reckoned one of the best batsmen the school had had since Mr. Pelham Warner) and at Trinity College, Oxford. He did not play a great deal of cricket while up at Oxford, though he appeared in the Freshmen’s match of 1904 and the Seniors’ of 1905. Rugby football claimed him as an ardent devotee, and he captained the Oxford fifteen one season. The summer terms found him reading harder than most men. Nor did he, during his time at Oxford, play at all regularly for his county. In fact, he has never yet put in a full season with the Norfolk team, though he did well enough in 1906 (146 in six innings,