Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

122 Acknowledgements Many thanks are due to Philip Yaxley, whose seminal work Looking Back At Norfolk Cricket first alerted me to the importance of George Barkley Raikes several years ago. Philip was also kind enough to supply me with a selection of photographs from his unique archive on Norfolk cricket. Although Raikes was married for over 50 years, he had no issue and no close relatives survive. However, Robert Jennings (a distant relative of Raikes through the Bevir family – Oliver Bevir married George Raikes’ niece Lilias Kathleen Cochrane Raikes) was able to provide some information on the subject’s later life. He also alerted me to the existence of several other members of the Raikes family who were either great-nephews or great- nieces of the subject - Rev Robert Laybourne Raikes, Mary Ruth Mann (nee Raikes) and Joan Margaret Raikes (nee Purvis) – who in turn provided some valuable insights and background material. Alas, just as Raikes left no descendants, he also left no archive, indeed virtually no written documentation of any kind (the single entry in the parish volumes of Great Ellingham in 1905 and the records of marriages in Bergh Apton between 1920 and 1936 being rare sightings). As such, insight into his character is regrettably hard to find, the Norfolk Cricket Annuals of 1909-10 and 1910-11 being notable exceptions. This has required me to ‘fill in a few gaps’ and occasionally commit the sin of supposition. To keep me ‘honest’, I tasked my fellow experts on Norfolk cricket, Jonny Howlett and John Chilvers, with commenting vigorously on the manuscript. Both came up with many suggestions that immeasurably improved the narrative, with Jonny being especially knowledgeable on Victorian football and John expert on the theory of wrist spin. John and I agreed to part company when it came to the topic of the precise nature of Raikes’ faith but I was still happy for him to pen a foreword and a splendid job he has done. I also took the opportunity to question practicing leg-spinner, Peter Jordan, on the subject of his art and he produced a thoughtful response to chapter seven. Professors Dil Porter and Hugh McCleod both suggested reading materials concerning Muscular Christianity and the rise of professionalism in Victorian sport which were vital in enabling me to put Raikes’ sporting career in context. As well as Philip Yaxley’s archive, I alsomade use of Roger Mann’s collection and the latter ‘came up trumps’ with some obscure but relevant pictures. Jonny and Jim Howlett also helped by providing many photographs of rural south Norfolk, where Raikes was born, raised and also spent 16 years as the vicar of Bergh Apton. I am grateful to Simon Knott for permission to use the photograph of the church at Bergh Apton from his Collection