Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

37 their players coped much better with what was still a “bone-hard, uneven surface”. Dark Blue skipper, C.B.Fry, magnanimously declined to request a postponement and, although his team took the lead, Cambridge took advantage of the conditions, scoring three goals without further reply (note 11) . Continuing to be magnanimous, Fry declared “Probably the best side that ever represented Oxford at Association football got beaten, and, what is more, on the play of the day, on its merits.” Grayson added: “… a great Oxford team, which apart from defence, failed to do itself justice. But what a defence! . the University defenders … could stand comparison with any among the professionals that have come after. Raikes, Oakley and Fry were shortly to capture over 20 international caps between them in those days of only three … games a season; and Lodge, from Cambridge, gained five caps”. The end of the season saw Raikes rejoin the Casuals in their successful campaign to win the London Charity Cup, seeing off Old Carthusians 3-0 in the semi-final and Old Westminsters 2-1 in the final, played at the Leyton ground before a crowd of 5,000. There was also an opportunity for Raikes to make his debut for the Corinthians, who beat the up-and-coming professionals of Woolwich Arsenal by the odd goal in five in front of a crowd of 3,500, again at Leyton. note 1: Jonathan Wilson informs that it was only in 1892 that it became illegal to ‘challenge’ the ‘keeper except when he was “playing the ball or while obstructing an opponent”. This leads to descriptions of play such as that following “from a fine middle by Bambridge, Prail got a capital goal, Dewhurst having previously disposed of the goalkeeper.” Montague Shearman describes an ideal technique “when a shot is made … the goal-keeper catches the ball and throws it away with both hands almost in one motion.” John Chilvers draws an interesting parallel between this bloodthirsty variety of soccer and American football with its ‘blocks’ and ‘guards’. note 2: Creek points out that a robust keeper could, if he felt so minded, fight fire with fire and ‘floor’ one or more threatening forwards by physical means. note 3: International keeper, Bert Robinson, stressed the point “I know from only too painful personable experience that the man in goal must be a compound of steel and gutta percha.” note 4: The Corinthians, clad in white shirts and dark shorts with dark blue and white striped caps, made their debut against St Thomas’ Hospital at Lambeth on 1 November 1882 and triumphed by the odd goal in three. In an average year the fixture list would run into the twenties, which would include a brief Christmas tour; matches would often be arranged on days other than Saturdays that players could turn out for their regular clubs as well as for the Corinthians. No fewer than 23 players played in excess of 100 games for the club. note 5: But see Cavallini, who reports that the Scotch retaliated by changing their policy and selecting Scots professionals who played in English leagues - the ‘Anglo-Scots’ or the ‘Scotch Professors’ as they were labelled – from 1896 onwards. note 6: For instance, no fewer than six represented England in the corresponding fixture against Scotland in 1896. note 7: The Casuals, who sported colours of chocolate and salmon, were brought into being just after the Corinthians – drawing their first match 3-3 against Upton Park in September 1883 – originally as a club for old boys of public schools; however they soon widened their intake. Unusually, they commenced their existence without rules and they were frequently nomadic, having no permanent home. Raikes’ Meteoric Rise as a Top Quality Footballer