Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

14 captained (note 11) , he was a fixture in the Shrewsbury Cricket XI, making his debut aged 15 and playing in five consecutive years from 1888 to 1892. His record is given in the table below. After an ‘apprenticeship’ as a youngster, he dominated the sport in his final three years at the school; he skippered in all three seasons and also finished top of the batting, with at least one century in each summer. He was also well-placed in the bowling averages: in his final year he topped both sets of averages. He was described as “the crack bat of the team” and, in Wisden as being amongst “other [schoolboy] batsmen deserving particular mention”. The school magazine The Salopian stated in November 1892 that “G.B.Raikes (captain) plays a strong, steady, and correct game in excellent style; cuts and hits to leg well, but is apt to lift balls in the slips; has not developed into so punishing a bat as was to be expected. A successful bowler, difficult to see and time; a safe if not brilliant field. An excellent captain in every way . ” (note 12) One of his best performances in his final year took place in Shrewsbury School’s defeat of Rossall School. All 40 wickets fell whilst only 344 runs were scored and Raikes was personally responsible for nearly a third The Early Life of George Barkley Raikes; Family and Schooling George Raikes as a young man.