Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

44 The Athletic News concurred: “Early in the second half Raikes gave a magnificent exhibition of goalkeeping during a terrific bombardment of his charge by the County forwards, and it was solely through him that the home team failed to add materially to their score … It was only the grand goalkeeping of Raikes which prevented them gaining an even more decisive win. By the way, some members of the Selection Committee were witnessing the match, and on Saturday’s form Raikes stands a big chance of gaining international honours.” Apart from the fact that Raikes had already been capped the previous year, the Athletic News was correct and Raikes did indeed turn out against Ireland, protected by the Varsity full-back pairing of Oakley and Lodge. Before that match, there was the little matter of Raikes’ fourth Varsity match. As with every other Dark Blue side featuring Raikes, it was a clear favourite to beat Cambridge and, led by G.O.Smith, did indeed achieve a 1-0 victory in a match described by The Times as ‘brilliant’. The Eastern Daily Press gave a slightly mixed review, stating that Raikes made one rather bad mistake but that he received many plaudits, that the ‘keeping was considered to be one of the highlights of the match and agreeing that he was due another run out in a Home International. This duly followed. The report in the Eastern Daily Press contained the following: “Despite the unfavourable weather that prevailed, fully 10,000 spectators assembled at the Cliftonville Grounds, Belfast, to witness the twelfth annual match between these two countries. In the previous games Ireland had never been successful, though two years ago they succeeded in drawing … and it was generally felt that they could have but small hopes against the powerful England side which contained seven leading professional players and four amateurs. The ground was in a soft condition, and matters were subsequently made more unpleasant, rain beginning to fall at half-time, Raikes the International ‘Keeper’ A picture of Raikes in ‘civvies’, taken from ‘Pa’ Jackson’s Association Football Handbook for the 1895-96 season.