Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

123 Acknowledgements (norfolkchurches.co.uk) and to local historian John Ling, who provided much insight into the geography and ‘comings-and-goings’ of that parish. I am also indebted to Jonathan Plunkett for permission to include the photograph of the church at Barnham Broom from the George Plunkett Collection. Thanks are also due to Dominic Fitzmaurice for converting many of the illustrations into manageable digital images. I am eternally grateful to Robert Brooke-Smith, the Taylor Librarian and Archivist of Shrewsbury School, who provided much information, and several photographs, on Raikes’ schooldays. Similarly, I am also in debt to the President and Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford (acting through the medium of Ben Taylor, the College Archivist’s Assistant) for providing comments and illustrations on Raikes’ time at Oxford. Peter Wynne- Thomas was his normal helpful self in dealing with various queries I had concerning Raikes’ stay in Nottinghamshire (and was the source of the illustration of the ground at Welbeck) whilst Mike Davage was as keen as ever to assist, providing huge amounts of detail on the Raikes family. At the last minute, an Econversation with David Jeater led to him putting me in touch with Norman Epps, an expert on the soccer of Raikes’ time, and Norman kindly performed some vital ‘fine tuning’ to the narrative, providing corrections, additions and several fine illustrations. The British Library, the Library at the Norwich Forum and the Norfolk County Record Office all provided access to vital documents and their staff are to be much thanked for their friendly and efficient service. I am also grateful to Rachel and Tomi Neaman-Pauk and to Howard and Susan Cottam-Davies for hosting me while I was in London, researching at the British Library. Finally, many thanks go to Kit Bartlett for proof-reading the manuscript.