Lives in Cricket No 49 - Enid Bakewell

28 Dartford Nicholson says 9 ‘the touring party to South Africa did not include several players who would have qualified on merit but were unable to travel’. The year 1961 was still Dartford and on May 6 Enid made 26 as Dartford (70 for three) beat Gunnersbury (69). Then came a representative appearance, for a WCA XI against the England Women’s Team which had toured South Africa in 1960-61. The WCA XI won with startling ease, bowling the tour side out for 85 and then declaring at 86 for none. Mary Duggan (who was vice-principal at Dartford in her mid- 30s) took seven for 21 and Cecilia Robinson and Shirley Driscoll knocked off the runs. This was played at the Oval and likely to be the first time Enid had played on a major ground. The touring side batted again, making 118 for six declared: Enid bowled four overs but they cost 30 runs. The WCA XI made 118 for five to win, but again Enid did not bat. She then had a good game as Dartford beat Chelsea CPE, top scoring with 33 and then taking four wickets for one run. So she played for a WCA XI again, against Kent, bowling eight overs and taking one for 32, but then making 43 in 48 minutes, top score in a total of 129. In July she played for ‘the Rest’ against the WCA in a two-day match at the Oval, taking two for 36 but only making two in the first innings, though she was left on 16 not out as the second innings folded for 101. Women’s Cricket said: Turton’s bowling … started too straightforwardly and runs were scored from it. Then she began to flight the ball more cunningly; Driscoll was tempted and fell to a neat stumping by Sharpe. Enid was playing regularly for Dartford, scoring steadily but not massively – 33 against Chelsea, 20 against Bedford, 35 against Wallington – but taking wickets cheaply. She took four for five against Kent Seconds, two for one against Bedford. She also played a couple of games for the Midlands. Against the South ‘the highlights of the morning play were two beautiful catches by Bragger and some very accurate bowling by herself and Turton’. 10 In August she played for a ‘World Tourist XI’ against the South. Enid made 40 in 149 minutes out of 169 for eight declared before the South knocked them off for one wicket. Clearly her time at Dartford mixing with some of the most prominent players of the day was keeping her name in the front of the selectors’ minds. She had not forgotten other sports, and in October 1961 Enid had her picture in Hockey Field as captain of the Dartford College team. Her interests now were ‘all outdoor activities, music, books, plays and films’. She hoped, it said, to return to Nottinghamshire to teach. Enid had her last games for Dartford early in 1962, with some success. Against Wallington in May she scored 22 and took six for 39, and against the Women’s Royal Air Force, in what was probably her last appearance 9 A history of Women’s Cricket in Britain, Part 2; 1956-1980, Journal of the Cricket Society, Autumn 2016 10 Women’s Cricket, 1961