Lives in Cricket No 46 - George Raikes

85 Raikes’ Second Spell for Norfolk: The Minor Counties Championship Won Raikes then found time to turn out in a couple of friendlies. The first, against the Free Foresters, turned out to be a personal triumph. He took five for 37 and six for 50 (ensuring that his brother Ernest would not get a bowl in the match) and played an “attractive and admirable” innings of 52 as Norfolk won by 149 runs. The next match saw Norfolk entertain London County for the second and final time; Raikes took only one wicket but that wicket belonged to W.G.Grace, who essayed a drive but edged it to first slip. Norfolk trailed by 54 after the first innings but the two churchmen, Raikes and Joseph McCormick, who had both dropped down the batting order, put on 124 for the fifth wicket. The stand was over in just 90 minutes, Raikes making 74 and McCormick 63, and, whilst the latter was dropped several times, Raikes “batted in delightfully free style, his driving being especially vigorous, and his leg hitting clean.” London County were seemingly still in with a chance but professional bowler Billy Smith took nine for 28 and that was that. Lakenham was not a happy hunting ground for the ageing W.G., who amassed only 54 runs in his four innings and saw his side comfortably beaten in both 1903 and 1904. To make things worse, on his second return journey he would have had time to ask himself why he had gone against his oft-expressed advice and put the opposition in. Returning to Championship cricket, Hertfordshire were the visitors to Lakenham and he found himself deputising as skipper, Legh Barratt being unavailable. The visitors batted well, reaching a total of 297, and Raikes did his fair share of the work, returning figures of 29-4-104- 4. Norfolk’s two innings lasted just long enough to secure a draw, with Raikes resorting to blocking. In his first innings, batting largely with Edward Garnier, he put on just 26 runs out of 75 that were added whist his second knock of 11 lasted a crucial hour. Raikes’ last Championship match of the season, against Buckinghamshire, saw him as captain once more. Although Norfolk lost by an innings, Raikes put in a performance worthy of any skipper: first he took four for 80 (as well as earning plaudits for his fielding) as Buckinghamshire made 269, then his 43 was the highest innings in Norfolk’s first attempt and his 21 was the second highest score as they followed on. His 43 was especially praiseworthy as it was played on a spiteful wicket, he “played the bowling with great steadiness and took an hour and three-quarters.” Alas, the rest of the side batted abjectly, making just 46 between them. The press commented: “As a batsman Mr. Raikes has a fine defence, and with command of many strokes, he also has plenty of hitting power. He is a magnificent field, especially to his own bowling, and he knows the game thoroughly.” Echoing this, it was also stated that “Mr Raikes is also a good lawn tennis player, and those who have watched him fielding to his own bowling can imagine that it is not so easy to pass him at the net.” Chaplain to the Duke of Portland During the year of 1905, George Raikes had a change of career as significant as it is possible to imagine without his leaving the church