Lives in Cricket No 49 - Enid Bakewell

21 Grammar school from club play in 1957 but by July 13, 1957 she was certainly playing for the county side against Warwickshire, taking two for 23 as they made 136 for four declared. Notts replied with 70 for four. She must have turned in some useful club performances before that. According to Netta Rheinberg in a 1970 Wisden article, in June 1957 she scored 43 not out against Leicester and made 56 not out in the return match. According to Women’s Cricket on July 24 she scored 56 not out in a score of of 120 for seven declared against Derby, who were bowled out for 88. 6 In the local derby on August 17, Enid scored 33 (out of 94 for seven declared) and Casuals were all out for 36, batting only nine players. Enid, still only 16, was looking like the club’s star player. She was being coached at bowling by Edna Valentine and Eileen White (it has been suggested that before then she did not take her bowling seriously), but modelled herself on Tony Lock. In the school holidays Enid went to watch Notts play Surrey, who were in the middle of their run of seven consecutive Championship titles. She would watch from the Radcliffe Road end, in line with the bowlers’ run up. The year 1958 began well. On May 10, Enid played against Casuals: with two for six she played her part in bowling Casuals out for 56 and then made a useful 16 as Nottingham won with 59 for three. On May 17 she played for the county side against Buckinghamshire (away): Bucks 48, Nottinghamshire 49 for one (E Turton 30 not out) and on May 24 she probably played for Nottingham (club) as they lost to Leicester; Nottingham 87 for six declared, Leicester 88 for three), though there is no mention of Enid in the summarised score. There were trials for the Midlands on May 31 and Women’s Cricket says they ‘exceeded all expectations’ as 35 candidates turned up. There are no extant scores, but Enid was selected for the Midlands First XI. So on June 10, not yet 17, she played for the Midlands against South II at Ascot House, Wing. Enid top scored with 31 out of the Midlands score of 125 for eight declared and South II finished on 55 for six, with no mention of Enid bowling. A club game on June 28 saw her play the starring role. Nottingham scored 87 (Enid 30) then bowled out Grantham for 25, with Enid taking five for three. There are miscellaneous scores. On July 12 Nottinghamshire made 66 (Enid 18) and Yorkshire 41 for six. One week later she played for the Midlands again; Midlands 87 (Enid 9), East 88 for six when she did not bowl. The next day she played for Miss Richardson’s XI (effectively Nottinghamshire) 119 for six declared (Enid 33) against Miss Ratcliffe’s XI (effectively Lancashire) who scored 45 for seven in reply. Then in September at Wolverhampton she played for JP Bragger’s XI against Middlesex. June Bragger was from Birmingham so this was a 6 Confusingly the magazine provides exactly the same scores on the same day for Nottingham v Leicester! If the WCA annual is right it was Derby.