George Raikes

Rev. George Barkley Raikes (14 March 1873 – 18 December 1966) was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Hampshire as well as representing the England national football team.

Raikes was born at Wymondham and was educated at Shrewsbury School. He kept goal for the school team between 1890 and 1892, before going up to Magdalen College, Oxford. At Oxford he won a blue in football in each of the four years from 1893 to 1896.

Raikes, a middle order batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler, played his early first-class cricket at Oxford University where he won his Blue in 1894 and 1895. He joined Hampshire in 1900 and performed well with the bat, making a two half centuries in his first three matches and also scoring a pair of 40s. His brother Ernest and nephew Thomas both played first-class cricket.

The all-rounder was also a successful cricketer in the Minor Counties Championship, where he captained Norfolk. A Championship winning captain in 1905 and 1910, Raikes amassed 3419 runs at 30.80 for them and took 282 wickets at 15.86.

Despite having not played first-class cricket for a decade, Raikes returned in 1912 for a match with an England XI against Australia.

A goalkeeper at football, he played at club level for Oxford University, Wymondham Town and Corinthian. Raikes was capped four times for England, making his international debut in a 1–1 draw with Wales in 1895. His three other appearances came in 1896, against Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively.

There is some dispute over whether or not Raikes captained England in their international against Ireland on 7 March 1896, with Gilbert Smith and Vaughan Lodge the others in the frame. The list provided by the F.A. does not include Raikes as an England captain however both the Irish Saturday Night and The Irish Times gave Raikes the captaincy.

After being ordained in 1897, he was a curate of Portsea, Portsmouth, the largest parish of the city until 1905 and then chaplain to the Duke of Portland. In 1920 he became Rector of Bergh Apton, remaining one until 1936. Before his death, at the age of 93, Raikes had been one of the oldest living first-class cricketers.