Thomas Drakes

{{short description|English cricketer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name =

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = Thomas Edwin Drakes

| birth_date = 7 March 1908

| birth_place = Bardney, Lincolnshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1974|5|10|1908|3|7}}

| death_place = Hainault, Essex, England

| nickname =

| family =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm fast-medium

| role =

| club1 = Lincolnshire

| year1 = 1926–1933

| club2 = Cambridge University

| year2 = 1929

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 8

| runs1 = 140

| bat avg1 = 14.00

| 100s/50s1 = –/–

| top score1 = 39*

| deliveries1 = 1,213

| wickets1 = 20

| bowl avg1 = 32.40

| fivefor1 = 1

| tenfor1 = –

| best bowling1 = 5/70

| catches/stumpings1 = 6/–

| date = 17 February

| year = 2019

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/12252.html Cricinfo

}}

Thomas Edwin Drakes (7 March 1908 – 10 May 1974) was an English first-class cricketer.

Born at Bardney in Lincolnshire, Drakes made his debut in minor counties cricket for Lincolnshire against Buckinghamshire in the 1926 Minor Counties Championship.{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14858/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html |title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Louis Weigall |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=2019-02-17 |url-access=subscription}} He played minor counties cricket for Lincolnshire until 1933, making 42 appearances in the Minor Counties Championship. He studied at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.{{cite book |title=The Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 December 1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1991 |first1= |last1= |page=380 |isbn=978-0-521-43468-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=05AcAQAAMAAJ |language=en}} While at Cambridge he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University in 1929, making his debut against Essex at Fenner's.{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/29/29150/First-Class_Matches.html |title=First-Class Matches played by Thomas Drakes |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=2019-02-17 |url-access=subscription}} He made eight appearances in first-class matches during 1929, scoring 140 runs with a high score of 39 not out,{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/29/29150/f_Batting_by_Team.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Thomas Drakes |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=2019-02-17 |url-access=subscription}} while with his right-arm fast-medium he took 20 wickets at an average of 32.40, with best figures of 5 for 70.{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/29/29150/f_Bowling_by_Team.html |title=First-class Bowling For Each Team by Thomas Drakes |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=2019-02-17 |url-access=subscription}} These figures were his only first-class five wicket haul and came on debut against Essex.{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/13/13023.html |title=Cambridge University v Essex, 1929 |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=2019-02-17 |url-access=subscription}}

He later assisted the Army Cadet Force as a second lieutenant in the 1950s.{{London Gazette |issue=38962|date=7 July 1950|startpage=3504|supp=y}} He died at Hainault in May 1974.