Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

72 C.B.Fry, stumped by Charles Robson for 89 (it is not known whether this dismissal was taken off Raikes’ fast-mediums or whether he was already trying out the leg-breaks that would make him a ‘star’ in Norfolk.) Raikes next appeared against Surrey at Southampton and his performance will again not detain. That he was selected for Hampshire’s subsequent match with Derbyshire was possibly a surprise; in three games he had yet to reach double figures and had taken only five wickets. His lack of form with the ball meant that skipper Robson did not call upon him until six other bowlers had been tried but he met with immediate success, harrying out the tail and finishing with figures of 13.2-2-30-4 as Derbyshire collapsed and finished on 230. Llewellyn actually took five wickets but had to bowl 33 overs and gave up 108 runs – surely Raikes (who benefitted from another stumping) could have been tried earlier? Hampshire’s first innings was a most uneven affair: seven batsmen made just 25 between them but the other four flourished, contributing 210 to their final total of 242. Batting at number seven, Raikes played a fine innings of 41. He was then given the new ball once more but returned to his profligate ways, finishing with expensive figures of two for 96 as Derbyshire’s second innings topped 300. Set a challenging target of 290, Hampshire lost three batsmen relatively cheaply before the aggressive Edward Sprot was aided to put on 103 for the fourth wicket by Victor Barton. When the latter was dismissed another 103 runs were still required and, with a tail that was far from strong, the onus was on Raikes to contribute. With Sprot continuing to dominate, Raikes could resort to the ‘blocking game’ of his The Hampshire Eleven that played against Sussex at Hove in 1901. The game, which was ruined by weather, was one of the five that Raikes played for Hampshire during this season. Standing (from left): T.Soar, V.A.Barton, A.S.Webb, Rev G.B.Raikes, C.B.Llewellyn. Seated (from left): D.A.Steele, E.M.Sprot, C.Robson (captain), E.I.M.Barrett, G.W.Lewis (scorer). Front (from left): J.G.Greig, H.G.Bignell. The Curate of Portsea; Was Raikes A Muscular Christian?