Lives in Cricket No 49 - Enid Bakewell

38 Given her form in 1967, it was no surprise when the April 1968 Bulletin saw Enid included in the squad for Australia. Strictly speaking Enid’s 1968 form would be irrelevant, as she had already been picked. Players needed lots of notice because the first thing they had to do was start raising their own fares, though most of them of course came from fairly wealthy middle-class families who had sent them to private schools and could offer financial support. They also needed to find 12 pairs of socks, half a dozen skirts and shirts and a toothbrush. As some consolation, the Bulletin included the news that Berlei would provide the team with foundation garments. Enid kept her form in 1968, though. She took seven for 30 against Kent at the end of May and five for 25 against the West a few days later. For the Midlands against the South she made 31 (out of 109) and took two for 26, but the Midlands lost. There were a couple of pre-tour warm up games. On July 26 and 27: E Barker’s XI 164 for eight declared (Enid 13-2-35-4) and 139 for six declared (Enid 12-3-42-2), R Heyhoe’s XI 168 for seven declared (Enid three) and 89 for eight (Enid 18) And on September 6 and 7: The Rest 82 (Enid 5-2-15-1) and 181 for eight declared (Enid 12-3-21-0), Touring team 163 (Enid five) and 102 for five. This year there was a Midlands League in which Nottingham took part but what information there is comes from odd copies of the Nottinghamshire Guardian 12 , and the ‘paper seemed unable to distinguish matches played by Nottinghamshire (the county) from those played by the Nottingham club. But in what are clearly club games ‘they suffered two defeats on Saturday, one at the hands of Edgbaston and the other against Birmingham, but on Sunday they beat Anstey, with whom they tied earlier in the season’. Edgbaston ran up 112 for two (Enid one for 11), Nottingham 86 (Enid 49); and Nottingham 39, Birmingham won by five wickets. And there are scores from some others: Nottingham 108 for six, Anstey CPE 55 for nine; Leicester 59 for five, Nottingham 100 for one (Enid 52 not out); and Wolverhampton 112 for five, Nottingham 125 for two (Enid 28). They are also reported as beating a men’s side - Annesley School PTA – in a match organised as a fund-raiser for Enid in Australia, and which she duly dominated. Nottingham made 98 (Enid 30) and Annesley 73 (Enid five for 36). The next day, said the paper, a Nottingham teamwith some ringers (Rachael Heyhoe, mainly) would play Roth’s Amateurs ‘one of Nottinghamshire’s best men’s teams’ at Holme Lane, Radcliffe-on-Trent (again a fund-raiser for the tour, Rachael organising several such games against men’s teams). 12 Thanks to Kath Sharman for finding these After Dartford