Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

105 Envoi A season later and Raikes also departed quietly from the Minor Counties Championship, choosing to play against a very strong Staffordshire side at Stoke-on-Trent. Staffordshire only totalled 217 but still won by an innings; Raikes was called upon to bowl just four overs and conceded 25 runs, twice being driven out of the ground for six by Leonard Taylor. He had no more success with the bat, falling lbw to Sydney Barnes for nine in the first innings and being caught by Bertie Morgan off Barnes for just one in his second knock. Raikes duly took the hint and played no more – as with his career in ‘big’ football, he slipped away quietly. How should history judge Raikes’ performances for Norfolk in the early 20th century? His limited availability inevitably reduced the impact that he had upon the Minor Counties Championship; however the successes that he did carry off indicate that, as an all-rounder and a captain, he had the potential to have been as significant a figure in the second-class game as the great Sydney Barnes. Can there be higher praise? note 1: Regular skipper, Brereton Wilson, had badly bruised his hand and was not fit to play. note 2: So little play was possible on the first day that the errant batsman had still to open his account as Suffolk finished the day on 14 for four. note 3: For three of the ‘gang of four’ things were to get worse as they ‘bagged ‘em’ on the second day. note 4: This was the first year the Minor Counties Championship was divided into two divisions. note 5: The author of this article is in error for, at the time of his writing, Raikes had been appointed captain of Norfolk in 1905, 1906 and 1910 and won the Championship only in 1905 and 1910. Norfolk finished eighth equal (out of 20) in 1906 and ninth of ten in 1911, his last year as skipper. He captained the occasional match in other seasons, including one in 1895, the inaugural year of the Minor Counties Championship when he was just 22. Norfolk finished joint top that year – but that was no thanks to Raikes’ captaincy for his sole match in charge finished in a thrashing at the hands of Hertfordshire. note 6: Comments on Raikes as a bowler are given in chapter seven. note 7: August 1912 was a horribly wet month; 11.27 inches of rain fell on Norwich in the month as a whole, of which 6.59 inches dropped on August 26 alone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 80 bridges failed across the county and four lives were lost. note 8: Norfolk’s season was dominated by debutant paceman Roderic Falconer, who took 65 wickets at 7.94 apiece. note 9: The England XI also included Michael Falcon, Kenneth Hutchings, George Thompson and Walter Brearley. Raikes’ Third Spell For Norfolk: The Championship Won Again