Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

6 to engulf the pastimes of gentlemen. Not only was Association Football being invaded – Raikes’ England caps were awarded when the side was a mixture of paid and unpaid players – but cricket was compromising with its ideals by turning a blind eye to the earnings of W.G.Grace - the ‘Great Shamateur’. Despite these breaches, untainted individuals such as Raikes sustained the notion of the ‘amateur ethos’ deep into the 20th century. But, as the apostrophes indicate, the ‘amateur ethos’ is a slippery concept, which Stephen probes thoughtfully throughout the study. Unquestionably, the most contentious issue that is examined in detail is the equally complex concept of ‘muscular Christianity’ and whether it is justifiable to pin this problematic label on Raikes. On this matter, I have to express a difference of historical interpretation with Stephen. It is a tempting line to follow: Raikes was a highly-talented sportsman who took holy orders and continued to pursue both parts of his life. The key reason I would question Raikes being perceived as a disciple of Thomas Hughes is the absence of really solid evidence in the form of personal testimony. Raikes has left no diaries, no sermons, no reminiscences. There is circumstantial evidence that when he joined a group of young Magdalen clerics at Portsea he was socially active but there is no ‘audit trail’ for other periods of his career. As far as can be ascertained, Raikes’ faith was lacking in dynamic evangelism. Moreover, he served 15 years as chaplain to an aristocratic family – hardly a post in which he was able to demonstrate deep spiritual fervour – and after the First World War, when he was appointed as rector of the sleepy Norfolk backwater parish of Bergh Apton, he may have continued to play village cricket as well as golf and tennis to a very respectable standard but there is no evidence that he fulfilled his spiritual role in an evangelical manner. Raikes was a cleric who was very good at sport – whether he was a ‘muscular Christian’ must remain open to doubt. Despite this interpretational caveat, Stephen has produced an engaging and entertaining text which I would commend to all readers keen to further their understanding of a sporting world that we have lost. John Chilvers Norwich, May 2016 Foreword