
Cricket has a long history of proud tradition in Yorkshire, but few know that cricket has been played by women for as long as it has by men, notably on village greens in an informal manner long before becoming an organised event.
This changed with the formation of clubs and governing bodies, and the changes in society slowly allowing cricket for women to become what it is today – though even now, changing, evolving, and growing.
Revisit our 2024 exhibition as we explore some of that women’s history in the great county of Yorkshire.
Produced in partnership with The University of Huddersfield.
Women’s Yorkshire England Cricket Captains
Helen Sharpe: 1960-61
Rachael Heyhoe Flint: 1966-76
Jane Powell: 1988-1990
Helen Plimmer: 1991-92
Jenny Gunn: 2010-2013
Danielle Hazel: 2018
Notable players first international appearance
Mona Greenwood: 1937
Mary Duggan: 1949
Mary Johnson: 1949
Barbara Wood: 1949
Margaret Lockwood: 1951
Polly Marshall: 1954
Ruth Westbrook: 1957
Helen Sharpe: 1957
Mollie Hunt: 1960
Lesley Clifford: 1966
June Stephenson: 1966
Rosemary Goodchild: 1966
Jill Need: 1968
Julia Greenwood: 1973
Sue Hilliam: 1973
Margaret Peear: 1979
Janet Tedstone: 1979
Karen Jobling: 1982
Jane Powell: 1984
Sue Metcalfe: 1984
Jill Stockdale: 1984
Gillian Smith: 1986
Joan Lee: 1986
Mary-Pat Moore: 1987
Debra Maybury: 1988
Clare Taylor: 1988
Cathy Cooke: 1989
Helen Plimmer: 1989
Jet van Noortwijk: 1989
Alison Elder: 1990
Linda Burnley: 1990
Kathryn Long: 1995
Melissa Reynard: 1995
Bev Nicholson: 1996
Nicola Holt: 1996
Laura Spragg: 1999
Helen Wardlaw: 2002
Jenny Gun: 2004
Katherine Brunt: 2004
Danielle Hazel: 2009
Alyssa Healy: 2010
Liz Perry: 2010
Lauren Winfield-Hill: 2013
Beth Langston: 2013
Leigh Kasperek: 2015
Beth Mooney: 2016
Becky Glen: 2018
Rachel Slater: 2022
Bess Heath: 2023
Women’s bat from the Edwardian era (1901-1914).
As more women started playing cricket, the demand for the right kind of sports clothing increased. Even though they still had to wear dresses, these were now made from lighter fabrics that allowed for better movement and the length rose to calf length. This way, they could play comfortably while still following the social norms of the time.
John Willes, a cricketer known for introducing the roundarm bowling style, might not have been the actual creator. According to legend his sister, Christina, came up with the move. The story goes back to the early 1800s when the siblings were practicing cricket in their barn near Canterbury. Christina, struggling with the traditional underarm bowl due to her fashionable but impractical puffy skirts, adjusted her arm to waist height. This modification gave rise to the roundarm bowling technique John then became famous for. Despite the increasing popularity of women’s cricket in schools, colleges, villages, and country houses during the 1800s, fashion continued to be a challenge. Women had no suitable uniforms, and they persisted in playing the sport wearing the fashionable yet cumbersome skirts and puffy sleeves of the time.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Majorie Pollard, one of the founders of the Women’s Cricket Association, often wrote articles for the association, mainly focusing on what she considered acceptable or unacceptable behavior, particularly regarding clothing. This issue became known as ‘the clothing problem.’ In the 1928 edition of the WCA yearbook, rules said that players must wear white or cream clothing, hats and underwear should be white, dresses or tunics must not be shorter than touching the ground when kneeling, and sleeveless dresses and see-through stockings were not allowed.
However, younger members of the association found these rules outdated and rebelliously challenged them. In 1936, Betty Peden successfully persuaded others to disregard the regulations, causing tension with older members who were scandalised by the idea of women showing their bare legs. Despite the resistance, Pollard continued to enforce the rules. She believed that without them, the WCA would struggle to secure grounds for future matches, especially on classic country grounds. The conditions under which women could play cricket professionally and publicly were directly linked to what they wore and what society considered appropriate at that time.
Meltham Cricket Club was founded in 1867 and have long been members of the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League, which is the premier cricket competition in Huddersfield.
A 1962 issue of Women’s Cricket Magazine by the Women’s Cricket Association:
Yorkshire Country 1st XI picture displayed on the front cover.
In June and July 1979 in three Test matches and three One Day Internationals were played between these two teams. The Test series ended as a 2 – 0 victory for England and the ODI as a 1 – 1 draw, with one match abandoned.
The first women’s World Cup was organised by the Women’s Cricket Association (WCA) and was financed by businessman Jack Hayward, whose reasoning for funding the competition was that he loved both cricket and women. The competition was held in England between 20 June – 28 July 1973, with the Men’s first World Cup being held two years later in 1975.
The final match was held at Edgbaston on July 28 against England and Australia, with England winning the match by ninety-two runs. Captain of the England team Rachael Heyhoe-Flint was awarded the trophy by H.R.H Princess Anne and a reception being held for the winning team at 10 Downing Street.
Key:
(England)
(Yorkshire)
———————
1935: Part of the first women’s test series
1935- The first Yorkshire women’s match was played.
1937: Lost to Australia as they toured England
1948-1949: Started playing Test cricket again but lost The Ashes to Australia
1951: Australia toured England after 14 years but lost The Ashes
1954: England’s first win in an international series
1963: Won in Australia
1966: Draw with New Zealand
1968-1969: England defended The Ashes again
1969-1971: They toured the West Indies before it was granted test status
1971: The creation of the first Women’s World Cup.
23rd February 1927 – 7th December 1996
International career: 1957-1961
8th Youngest Captain in Women’s Test Matches (23y 283d)
7th most runs in an Innings in a Test Match by a Captain (126)
Helen was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. She primarily played as wicket keeper. She played for the Yorkshire Women’s cricket team from 1947 – 1949, and in 1957 she made her test debut. At age 23, in 1960, she was captain of the England team, making her the 6th test captain of England and the first England captain who has played for Yorkshire.
Her last appearance Internationally was England v South Africa Women in Cape Town, January 13th to 16th, 1961.
Brenda Rothera leading The North Ladies Team, 1950s.
The Women’s Cricket Association was formed in 1926 by a small group of female hockey players who were looking for a game to play in the summer. Their efforts led to the launch of women’s cricket to a national scale.
The formation of the Women’s Cricket Association was a huge step forward in the fight for equality in cricket. The two aims of the organisation were set forward as such “To encourage the foundation of cricket clubs throughout the country” and “to provide facilities for and bring together…those women and girls who previously have had little opportunity of playing cricket after leaving school and college.”
Through the efforts of the WCA, publicity included the creation of a cricket film and even some male county cricket associations were keen to host representative matches annually.
As the national governing body of women’s cricket in England, Scotland, and Wales, it was responsible for its running until 1998 when it merged with the ECB, and was affiliated to the International Women’s Cricket Council.
Included pictured: Jane Powell, Gill Smith, Helen Plimmer, Debra Maybury, Karen Jobling, Joan Lee, Sue Metcalfe and Janet Tedstone, who went on to play for England.
Image courtesy of Dr. Jane Powell.
Although Lords is known as being the Home of Cricket, Women were not allowed to play at the stadium prior 1976, when Lords opened their doors to the England and Australian team for the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Women’s Cricket Association.
During the preparation for the match ahead the captain of the England team, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint faced the problem of getting her team from the changing rooms to the pitch, due to the women players not being allowed to go through the Long Room.
Prior to the match the team was timed going around the pavilion, however they were not able to meet the two-minute deadline, which would have resulted in the team being disqualified.
As a result, Lord’s allowed the women to go through the Long Room, a remarkable event in its own right, as the only other woman who was allowed in the Long Room before this was Queen Elizabeth II.
The match ended with England winning by eight wickets.
11th June 1939 – 18th January 2017
Heyhoe-Flint made her debut test for England in 1960 in South Africa and made her final appearance playing cricket at the Women’s World Cup in 1982. She was a right-handed batter and during her 12 years captaining the England team she never lost a Test match.
Her contribution to women’s cricket has been immense, from her contributions to the first Women’s World Cup in 1973, captaining England in the first Women’s game at Lord’s in 1976 and becoming the first woman to be inducted to the ICC’s Hall of Fame in 2010. Heyhoe-Flint was a pioneer in women’s cricket and was awarded an MBE for her service to Women’s Cricket in 1972.
Outside of her cricket life she worked for the newspaper The Telegraph where she promoted Women’s Cricket in a professional light focusing on the game. She also helped fundraise the first Women’s World Cup in 1973 which she captained and later won.
During this period the Women England players were supplied with their blazers by the Women’s Cricket Association, however they were expected to pay for the blazer, being sent a bill alongside the uniform. However, during this time the Men’s England team blazer was supplied and paid for by the clubs. When Jane Powell received her blazer, she recalled the bill coming to around £75 which is approximately £265 in today’s currency.
Many women players were not paid for playing, with many professional players having full time jobs alongside playing cricket. Powell was a teacher during this period, and she recalled during an interview how the blazer would have cost her a quarter of her monthly salary.
Blazer donated by Dr. Jane Powell
Due to the cost of the blazers, Powell chose to buy only one blazer and would change the emblems depending on who she was playing, as the blazers and patch were the same colour.
Blazer patch donated by Dr. Jane Powell.
January 19 1957 –
Jane started playing professionally for Yorkshire in 1980 and went on to play for England later captaining and coaching the England Women’s team. When she started to play for England in 1984, she played as the 12th person 21 times, despite this she carried on playing cricket because she loved the sport.
Gaining her highest score of 115 runs against India Women in 1986 at Blackpool Stanley Park in Blackpool. In 1988 she captained the England team during the World Cup in Australia, leading the team to the final and finishing in 2nd place. After retirement she coached the England Women’s team for the Australian tour 2002-03.
Outside of cricket, Jane played badminton and hockey and coached hockey. She made history by becoming the first female president of Yorkshire Cricket Club in 2023, her goal as president is to make sure everyone knows that they are valued at Yorkshire Cricket.
The kit in this box was worn by the right arm fast bowler, Shabnim Ismail- a player for the Yorkshire diamonds in the Women’s Cricket Super league.
The Yorkshire Diamonds were a team that played in the Women’s Twenty20 and were created for the inaugural season of the Women’s Cricket Super League. They played a total of three seasons in the time they were active. The changes made to women’s domestic cricket in 2020 in England caused the team to be disbanded but the fight and flame was carried on by the Northern Diamonds, who carry the fire on to this day.
Key:
(England)
(Yorkshire)
———————
1980: Yorkshire joined the Women’s Area Champs.
1996: The end of the Women’s Area Champs, they left with 6 wins.
1997: Women’s County Championship inaugural season.
2005: Relegation
2007: Placed in division three.
2008: Promoted to division two.
2009: Promoted to division two and the start of the Women’s Twenty20.
2010: Twenty20 Finalist
2010 – : Playing in division one for the Women’s County Championships.
2011: Women’s Twenty20 Semi-Finalist
2012: Women’s Twenty20 Semi-Finalist
2015: Winning the County Championship.
2017: County Championship Finalist.
2018: County Championship Finalist.
2019: County Championship Finalist.
2021: Finished fourth in the Women’s Twenty20
2023: Despite the initial group matches being rained off, they won one of two finals.
2005: Lost the world cup semi final
2006: Won two ODI’s against Sri lanka before crawling one test against australia
2008: Held on to the ashes after drawing with Australia
2009: Start of the Women’s Twenty20 and they beat Australia
2012: Lost the Women’s Twenty20
2013: Women’s world cup- Third place and they won the ashes
2014: Women’s Twenty20- Runner Up.
2016: Women’s TWenty20- Semi-Finalist
2017: Women’s cricket world cup-Winners.
2018: Women’s Twenty20- Runner Up.
2020: Women’s Twenty20- Semi-Finalist.
2022: Women’s Cricket World Cup, Runner Up.
2023: Women’s Twenty20- Semi Finalist.
1997 marked the approval of wearing trousers, a significant shift from the previous rule that only allowed skirts. The idea of skirts was finally considered impractical and unnecessary, which was different from the clothing principles the WCA had been promoting since its establishment in 1926. This change brought about a more professional and unified look between men’s and women’s cricket, making the kits for both genders virtually identical.
The transition from skirts to trousers also shifted the focus of women’s games. Instead of concentrating on their attire, people started paying more attention to their actual gameplay. This was a notable change from how the media used to highlight clothing in the past.
Image courtesy of Dr. Jane Powell.
Image courtesy of Jane Powell
Page from article with Sue Redfern from England v South Africa, Vitality T20, 9 June – 13 July 2018
Read the full issue of the programme here (Sue Redfern article on pages 20-21)
This kit was donated by Katie Levick, a Yorkshire legend and bowler who has played for Yorkshire, Yorkshire Diamonds, Northern Diamonds and Birmingham Phoenix. Levick currently holds the top position for the most wickets taken in Women’s County Championship cricket.
The Ashes are a cricket series that take place from June to July, this time taking place in England. The series was made up of one Test, three one day International and three Twenty20 International matches. The winner of the series was determined due to a point system that ran across all three game formats. It made history when one of the Test matches was the first ever in women’s cricket to be scheduled for five days of play time. After days of play Australia and England were both tied with eight points each causing Australia to defend the ashes as champions having won the both the 2021 and 2022 Women’s Ashes series.
Australia won the first Test and it was the first women’s Test match since 2015 that didn’t end in a draw. Australia won the first T20I as well, this meant England needed to win the remaining matches to claim the title of Champion. Despite this England put up a fight, drawing with Australia leaving the Ashes at a draw.
13th May 1988 –
Danielle was born in Durham, with the qualifying rule amended in 1992 to include those who were educated in the county. She was an off-break bowler who batted right-handed. She played on various Yorkshire Women’s teams from 2008 – 2018. She played on the England team in 2017 when they won the World Cup. Following this win she was made captain of the Women’s England team in 2018, making her the most recent England captain who has played for Yorkshire. Since then, she has coached both the Yorkshire and the Northern Diamonds.
The Women’s England team won the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017, making it their most recent World Cup win, with England playing both the first and last matches of the Cup. The final took place at Lord’s Cricket Ground, where they won the toss and decided to bat first, leading to them winning by 9 runs. The team consisted of just three players who had previously represented England in a World Cup final: Katherine Brunt, Laura Marsh, and Sarah Taylor. Other members of the team included Heather Knight, the captain, and Anya Shrubsole, who was awarded Player of the Match.
- England is considered the birthplace of cricket. The sport has been played in the country since the 16th century.
- The first ever recorded match of women’s cricket was held in 1745 and was between two villages near Surrey. Someone watching the game was reported as saying ‘There was of bothe sexes the greatest number that ever was seen on such an occasion. The girls bowled, batted, ran and caught as well as most men could do in that game’.
- In 1890, a team known as the Original English Lady Cricketers, toured England, playing in exhibition matches to large crowds. The team was highly successful until its manager absconded with the profits, forcing the ladies to disband.”
Contributions and Feedback
The Yorkshire Cricket Foundation Heritage Department has been pleased to partner with the University of Huddersfield for the 2024 exhibition.
We have been pleased to work with the School of Arts and Humanities through Dr Rob Ellis.
We want to thank our student researchers who have enabled us to tell these important stories about women’s cricket:
- Cerys Auty
- Millie Denton
- Tilly Olphin
- Laura Sharp
Lastly, we want to give special thanks to Dr Jane Powell, who spent her time with the students and made such important contributions to this exhibition.
This exhibition ran in our Long Room display for the 2024 season.
We would welcome your feedback as we look to continue improving our exhibitions.
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