#rachel heyhoe-flint

[ginerva-mollyweasley]

game changers.

[abattoirstars]

i do enjoy how hilariously upper class Baroness Rachel Heyhoe Flint is as a name to be the pioneer of english women’s cricket. It’s like you tried to make up a posh English equivalent of Billie Jean King.

(worth noting Heyhoe wasn’t a nickname because she had posh mannerisms but her actual maiden name, perfection)

‘so the first womens cricket match we have a scorecard for on record is between Bramley and Hambledon’

fundamentally unserious country…

[12blogmk]

The Ashes 2023: England hand debut to pace bowler Lauren Filer for Australia Test at Trent Bridge

Western Storm bowler Lauren Filer will make her England debut in the Ashes Test against Australia, that starts at Trent Bridge on Thursday. Right-arm pace bowler Filer, 22, has taken eight wickets in four Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy games this summer and five in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Batter Danni Wyatt, 32, will also make her Test debut, having played 245 white-ball games for England. Filer…

[guruontime]

ICC Awards of the Decade winners and Nominees List

ICC Awards of the Decade winners and Nominees List @guruontime

The prestigious ICC Awards of the Decade winner list were announced across all ICC Digital channels, as well as the Star Sports Network, on Monday, December 28. The ICC Awards including the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint for Best Female Player and Sir Garfield Sobers for Best Male Player. ICC Awards of the Decade winners List First time ever fans are invited to vote for the ICC Awards of The Decade to…

[componentplanet]

Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy: England's Heather Knight, Katherine Brunt & Danni Wyatt shine

England stars Heather Knight, Katherine Brunt and Danni Wyatt all impress on day one of the inaugural Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy. from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/53926253 from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/08/rachel-heyhoe-flint-trophy-englands.html

[gone2soon-rip]

RACHEL HEYHOE FLINT,BARONES HEYHOE FLINT.(1939-Died January 18th 2017,at 77).British cricketer,considered one of the greatest female cricketers.She was captain of the England national team from 1966 to 1982,with a career spanning 1960 to 1982,during which,she was a member of the 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup winning team,and was the first female cricketer to hit a six in a Test match.She was also a goalkeeper in the 1964 England Hockey team. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachael_Heyhoe_Flint,_Baroness_Heyhoe_Flint

[news-hst-pakistan]

Central Sparks fly on back of Amy Jones 163* before Ria Fackrell takes four

Central Sparks fly on back of Amy Jones 163* before Ria Fackrell takes four

Report Western Storm stumble after century opening stand between Parfitt and Knight Central Sparks 295 for 7 (A Jones 163*) beat Western Storm 254 for 9 (Parfitt 91, Knight 59, Fackrell 4-34) by 41 runs Central Sparks emerged victorious by 41 runs against Western Storm thanks to a magnificent innings by Amy Jones, who recorded the highest score in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy to date. Jones…

[sustainhealthmagazine]

Ellyse Perry Wins Rachael Heyhoe-flint Award

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• Australian all-rounder Perry also named ODI Cricketer of the Year • Wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy is the T20I Cricketer of the Year for the second year running • Thailand’s Chanida Sutthiruang named as Emerging Cricketer of the Year • Meg Lanning named skipper of both ODI and T20I sides

By SPORTS EDITOR FOR SUSTAIN HEALTH 

PUBLISHED: 01:22, 18 December 2019 | UPDATED: 01:28, 18 December 2019

Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has won the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year and also been named as the ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year, the International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday, 17 December.

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Perry has had a stellar year across formats, with three hundreds, including one in the Women's Ashes Test. She averages 73.50 from 12 ODIs this year, where she has also taken 21 wickets, including a national record 7/22. She became the first player to complete 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20I cricket.

"It's an amazing honour and I'm a little bit shocked, given how many amazing performances there have been across the year," said Perry, who has won the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the second time in three years – the first as the inaugural winner in 2017.

"It's amazing to be acknowledged and I do truly appreciate it. It’s a really nice way to finish the year on a personal note."

Upon being named the ODI Player of the Year, Perry said, "It's been nice to have a chance to tour so consistently with the Australian team. It's been an amazing year, I've really enjoyed all of it and it's just been nice to be a part of it.

"It's so exciting that the T20 World Cup is here at home early next year and with the target of the final at the MCG it could be a really special moment in the game’s history."

Perry dominated the crease throughout 2019 alongside opening partner and fellow award winner Alyssa Healy.

Named as T20I Cricketer of the Year for the second year running, Alyssa Healy entered the record books in October, scoring a world record 148* off 61 balls against Sri Lanka – the highest score by a woman in T20Is. The wicket-keeper batter reached her half-century off 25 balls and her maiden hundred off just 46, for the fastest century ever by an Australian man or woman.

"I'm really pumped to be awarded the T20I Cricketer of the Year," said Healy.

"The Australian women's team had a fantastic 12-month period and we played some really consistent T20 cricket. Whilst the individual award is really nice for me personally, I think it was great to see our team play so well throughout that 12-month period, especially leading into a home World Cup in 2020."

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Both Perry and Healy have also been named in the women's ODI and T20I teams of the year, alongside fellow Australian and national team captain Meg Lanning, who has been named as skipper of both the 50-over and 20-over sides.

With Perry, Healy, and Lanning recognised in the annual ICC Women's Cricket Awards, Australian women's cricket finds itself in something of a golden era at just the right time.

"It's a huge honour to be named captain of the ICC ODI and T20 Teams of the Year alongside some incredible players," said Lanning.

"It's been an amazing year for the Australian team and we're looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in 2020.

"A home T20 World Cup is an opportunity that doesn’t come along often, but we are looking forward to and embracing the challenge of performing well in front of our home crowd."

Ranked No.1 in both the One-Day and T20 International formats, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup reigning champions will be keen to retain their title on home soil, at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in front of a potential new world record crowd for a women's sporting fixture.

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 final will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women's Day, Sunday 8 March 2020.

Commencing in Sydney on 21 February, the tournament will also see Thailand compete at their first-ever World Cup – in women's or men's cricket, T20I or 50-over.

Qualification was assured in Scotland earlier this year at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019, thanks in much part to 12 wickets for just 68 runs from bowler Chanida Sutthiruang, who has been named the ICC's Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

The 26-year-old right-arm seamer has enjoyed outstanding success with the national side this year as they set a new world record of 17 consecutive T20I victories, took victory in a quadrangular series featuring Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands and finished top of their ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier group.

"On behalf of the ICC I would like to offer our sincere congratulations to Ellyse, Alyssa and Chanida on their well-deserved individual accolades as well as the other players who have made the teams of the year," said Manu Sawhney, ICC chief executive.

"I'd like to pay particular tribute to Ellyse on winning both the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint trophy and the ODI Cricketer of the Year. She has achieved so much over the last 12 months and becoming the first cricketer in history to complete the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in T20 international cricket is an exceptional achievement.

"Chanida's Emerging Player award recognises the huge achievement of Thailand in qualifying for their first-ever ICC global event and we're looking forward to seeing more of her and her teammates at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia next year. The form of all of the players recognised in the ICC Awards 2019 makes next year's event such an exciting prospect as the world's best cricketers go head-to-head for a global title. Fans around the world are certainly in for a treat."

Winners:

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year – Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year – Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Women's T20I Player of the Year – Alyssa Healy (Australia)

ICC Women's Emerging Player of the Year – Chanida Sutthiruang (Thailand)

ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year (in batting order):

1. Alyssa Healy (wk) - Australia 2. Smriti Mandhana - India 3. Tamsin Beaumont - England 4. Meg Lanning (c) - Australia 5. Stafanie Taylor - West Indies 6. Ellyse Perry - Australia 7. Jess Jonassen - Australia 8. Shikha Pandey - India 9. Jhulan Goswami - India 10. Megan Schutt - Australia 11. Poonam Yadav - India

ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year (in batting order):

1. Alyssa Healy (wk) - Australia 2. Danielle Wyatt - England 3. Meg Lanning (c) - Australia 4. Smriti Mandhana - India 5. Lizelle Lee - South Africa 6. Ellyse Perry - Australia 7. Deepti Sharma - India 8. Nida Dar - Pakistan 9. Megan Schutt - Australia 10. Shabnim Ismail - South Africa 11. Radha Yadav - India

Both teams and the annual women’s individual awards sides have been selected by the voting academy, which took into consideration player performances throughout the 2019 calendar year.

Comprised of members of the media and broadcasters, the 2019 voting academy consisted of: Selina Steele, Alex Blackwell, Lisa Sthalekar (Australia); Isabelle Westbury, Charlotte Edwards, Henry Moeran, Ebony Rainford-Brent (England); Snehal Pradhan, Anjum Chopra, Yash Lahoti (India); Andrew Voerman, Lesley Murdoch (New Zealand); Urooj Mumtaz Khan (Pakistan); Natalie Germanos (South Africa); Saadi Thawfeeq, Rex Clementine (Sri Lanka); Ian Bishop, Merissa Aguilleira (West Indies); Alan Wilkins, Alison Mitchell, Isobel Joyce.

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[wisdenindia-blog]

Iron-willed Smithies on the crest of an unending wave

Iron-willed Smithies on the crest of an unending wave “I came here actually in 1998 to coach and play at the University of Pretoria. Fell in love with the place and moved out here in 2000″ – Karen Smithies. © Wisden India Among the many people sitting in the stands at the SuperSport Park in Centurion when South Africa were beating India by 135 runs to take a series-winning lead, was one very interested person. Much more than a spectator, but neither South African, nor Indian. Karen Smithies is the manager of the Titans, the domestic franchise whose home ground is the SuperSport Park. A team so strong that seven of their players featured in the XI for the Test: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Morne Morkel and Lungisani Ngidi. On the bench, was Chris Morris, making it eight players in the squad. Dale Steyn plays for the franchise too. Being the go-to person for a franchise with such a galaxy of stars would have been a sort of career-high for most people. Smithies is not most people though. And she has something in cricket none of the illustrious names around her do: a World Cup winner’s medal. Smithies is the former England Women’s captain, who played 15 Tests and 69 One-Day Internationals from 1986 till 2000. In 1993, she led England to victory in the tournament at home. In 2017, she was at Lord’s to witness Anya Shrubsole deliver the trophy for her team against Mithali Raj’s India, completing an evolutionary circle for women’s cricket. But first things first. How is a former England Women’s captain the Titans’ manager in Centurion? When it’s put to her that we generally see the reverse – South Africans going to England – she laughs. “Well it’s 18 years ago now since I left the UK,” Smithies tells Wisden India. “I came here actually in 1998 to coach and play at the University of Pretoria. Fell in love with the place and moved out here in 2000. I landed up at SuperSport Park in 2003 coaching women, but I’ve been with the Titans now since 2006. I go once a year to see the family, but otherwise, I’m a resident here now. “Cricket’s been part of my life since I was a small child, so it’s great to be part of it. And I work with so many great guys here at the Titans,” she continues. “To work with the likes of AB, Morne – guys who were coming through when I first started. It’s a special part of my journey here at the Titans. Dale Steyn started here, and I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the great players of South African cricket. Mark Boucher, for example, is the coach, and my boss. It’s a privilege to see how he goes about his business. The memories of some of the great players she has seen and the ones making their way up is something she treasures. “AB was different. He was already earmarked. He went very quickly. Morne Morkel made his debut for the Titans just as I started, in 2006. He was very nervous about bowling a no-ball, and what does he do with his first ball in domestic cricket? He bowls a no-ball! “For me now, seeing Aiden Markram and Lungi Ngidi, two outstanding gentlemen and two fantastic cricketers, get debuts was pretty special for us as well. It’s a special place SuperSport Park that has produced a lot of Protea cricketers.” But for Smithies, this is just the second half of her cricketing life. The first was probably even more eventful. She’s played in an era when women still had to wear skirts and seen the change to trousers. She burnt a bat with Belinda Clark at Lord’s to mark the beginning of the Women’s Ashes. She was there when Rachel Heyhoe-Flint used to sell chocolates and raffle tickets to raise funds so that women could play the sport. She’s been to two tours of India, and taken part in one of the most thrilling women’s Tests ever, which England won by two runs. “It went down to the final ball,” she remembers. “And there was an lbw decision. I took a gamble with the last over, it was quite a slow, turning wicket but I brought on the left-arm pace of Jo Chamberlain. She bowled a good over and off the last ball of the over [actually the third ball], we all went up for the lbw and it was given. So it was a fantastic game of cricket actually.” Karen Smithies burnt a bat with Belinda Clark at Lord’s to mark the beginning of the Women’s Ashes. © Wisden India Set 128 for victory, India were all out for 125 in 38.3 overs in what was the second Test of the series. This after Neetu David had taken 8 for 53 in England’s second innings, setting India a very gettable target. “We were in big trouble throughout the Test actually,” says Smithies. One of those where you were down and out and then you managed to scrape and turn it around a little bit. So it just to-ed and fro-ed all the way through.” Smithies has fond memories of India, both in 1995 and 1997, though she had her share of adventures too. “As a cricketer, to play in India is something every cricketer should do,” she says. “We’d have good crowds, and it’s nice to have a knowledgeable crowd. I loved India, and to play in different conditions. And we did have a lot of different conditions. “For food, I was given a little trick. An old soldier that I knew was based in India. And he said, ‘To look after yourself, just take a little tot of brandy every night, a little cap. And you will be fine!’ I lost a lot of weight there. I basically survived on potatoes that were in the curry, bananas, poppadum and naan bread. That was just about my diet while I was there. But thankfully I was good. “In Pune, we played an ODI and it got a little volatile. Claire Taylor got a bang on the head from someone who’d thrown something from the crowd, and we had to stay in the changing rooms for about three hours after the game because the crowd would not disperse. That was a tricky stay for us, but I suppose it all added to the experience.” It was a different era then. “I played in skirts from 1986 to 1997. And 1997 was the first year that we brought in the trousers,” smiles Smithies. “In India, it’s not very pleasant because you’re diving around on the field and the heat and the dust… hated it (wearing the skirt) actually! But that was the call of the day, so we had to go by it. It wasn’t very comfortable, and it wasn’t very good to look at either. Thankfully 1997 saw the change.” The next year also saw the launch of the Women’s Ashes. The men’s trophy is said to have the ashes of a burnt bail. The women burnt something more substantial. “We burnt a bat. This was at Lord’s,” says Smithies, pointing to a photo of Belinda Clark and her burning the bat, flanked by Roger Knight, the MCC president then, and the England manager. Women cricketers today are still not near the earning level of the men, but they are far removed from their predecessors at least. “The great Enid Bakewell, who I played all my cricket with in Nottinghamshire, and Rachel Heyhoe-Flint – they used to sell chocolate to raise funds for our club,” recounts Smithies. “Sell raffle tickets to get money for training facilities. I also did a sponsored walk if I remember, from Lord’s to the Oval and back. Again pioneered by Rachel Heyhoe-Flint just to raise awareness and money. That’s what we had to do, you know. It was part and parcel. “I know that back in the day, 1986 onwards, a lot of the Indian players worked for Railways I believe, and were given time off to play cricket,” she adds. “But I don’t think they had a lot of support, the conditions, the facilities or the money to do what they wanted to. Although they had some very good quality players. Since then there has been a lot more women’s cricket, and the ICC have really put in a lot of effort into the game. They play more competitive cricket than we did on a regular basis, which also helps the momentum of it.” One of the great showcases for how the women’s game has changed was the Women’s World Cup in 2017, whose final Smithies attended. “The game has evolved beyond recognition. I wish I was playing now in this era, with the opportunities that they get,” she smiles. “We were amateurs, we didn’t get paid. Most of the early tours we went to, we paid for ourselves pretty much. But now look, the top international women cricketers now are full-time. It gives them time to train, just concentrate on the cricket, which is a huge difference. And of course T20 cricket has also made a difference to their hitting areas, their power. I would love to have played a T20 game.” “To have 26,000 people at Lord’s for the women’s final, I never thought I’d see that. And just the atmosphere around the ground and the game was a credit to women’s cricket.” – Karen Smithies. © Getty Images For Smithies, the advent of T20 and particularly the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, have played key roles in pushing the game’s popularity steadily upwards, until it all came together at the 2017 World Cup, whose final has been hailed as perhaps the grandest showcase for women’s cricket. “Absolutely,” agrees Smithies. “To have 26,000 people at Lord’s for the women’s final, I never thought I’d see that. And just the atmosphere around the ground and the game was a credit to women’s cricket. It was televised, most of it. So a lot of people could see it. A lot of the games were close as well. “The other thing is the women’s Big Bash League in Australia. Those kinds of tournaments are doing the women’s game so much good. I know that Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp and Mignon du Preez are over there now. It’s like the IPL, you’re playing with and against the best players in the world. It can only do your game good.” Smithies only went to the final though, thus missing out on both semifinals, which were classics in their own right. The first one would have been more poignant for Smithies, with England squeaking home by two wickets, with two balls to spare – against South Africa. Who would she have been supporting? The question is followed by the ready, and infectious, laughter Smithies has. “Umm… Obviously, England because that’s where my home is. And home is where the heart is. But I was also keen to see some of the South African girls that I know, they also put in a very, very good performance. And again England in the final, were up against it for quite some time and India really should have taken it. But you know these big-pressure days bring and with Shrubsole doing her in-duckers and a couple of wickets falling, momentum went back to England.” The title triumph brought back the memories of her own moment of glory in 1993, when she lifted the World Cup as the England captain. “In 1993, women’s cricket was run by the Women’s Cricket Association. And they really had to rely on donations to stage the event,” she says. “We won, against all odds, I believe. It was live on TV that afternoon, and John Major was there, he was Prime Minister at the time. So there was a lot of high profile to it and it really gave women’s cricket a leverage. And five years later, the Women’s Cricket Association merged with the ECB. And now the World Cup was run by the ICC. “Look in 1993, we stayed in Wellington College. In dormitories. And in 2017 they probably stayed at The Hilton in London. We had to do our own washing, things like that. The game has evolved immeasurably over the years, and quite rightly too because there’s some good players out there.” The win though did produce a moment that remains etched in minds for many, though its one Smithies would rather forget about. Flushed with victory, she told Derek Pringle, the allrounder, that since the men’s team didn’t seem to be winning anything, perhaps the women could teach them a thing or two? “I think I got a bit cocky at that stage because we were doing very well, and the men under Michael Atherton were down and out,” she says, eyes twinkling. “It was a rushed comment, and one which I wished I never made. It was probably something like “You can learn how to play from us”. Most likely. Bit cocky, eh? But it was just one of those heat-of-the-moment things. I was 24 years old, I was on the crest of a wave after winning the World Cup and… I lost it, to be honest!” There’s no losing it now for Smithies, whether in her office sorting through mail for the Titans’ cricketers, in the open-air press box of the SuperSport Park ready to lend a helping hand to journalists, bustling about with the thousand and one administrative tasks she has to attend to, or just sitting back quietly and enjoying the game to which she has given two careers and is still not done.

[australiasport]

Ellyse Perry la migliore al mondo

L’ICC ha assegnato a Perry il titolo di migliore giocatrice al mondo La polivalente giocatrice australiana ha coronata un’annata spettacolare nel 2017 Intitolato alla pionera del cricket femminile Rachel Heyhoe Flint, scomparsa l’anno scorso,il premio è alla sua prima edizione, la vittoria di Ellyse Perry è più che meritata. La giocatrice australiana è stata la protagonista della vittoria nelle…

[mavwrekmarketing]

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Llanelli-born Lynne, batting, played for England from 1966 to 1979

“When people ask me what I’d have been if I’d not been a cricket player, I say… a millionaire,” laughs Lynne Thomas, who 44 years ago helped England to victory in the first ever cricket World Cup.

The women’s game beat the men onto the global crease, with their inaugural World Cup in 1973 coming two years before the first male event.

Not only was batswoman Lynne, now 77, part of that wider trailblazing moment for sport, she played her part on the pitch too, scoring 263 runs in four innings, and making the first World Cup century.

What makes her and the England team’s victory the more remarkable is that they played and promoted the women’s game in the 1960s and 1970s for no financial reward, in fact their love of cricket left them regularly out of pocket.

By way of contrast, when England take to the field in Sunday’s sell-out 2017 final at Lords they will be playing for a cool $660,000 (512,000). Even the losing team will collect $330,000. It is all part of an ICC pot of $2m prize money this year.

Women’s cricket makes declaration of intent

World Cup prize money ‘will change people’s lives’

World Cup can put India’s women on the map

England’s World Cup winners from 1973 honoured

Royal approval

“It is great for the girls that they can now make a career out of cricket if that is what they chose to do in life,” says Lynne, who combined playing cricket for England with playing international hockey for Wales, and holding down a full-time job as a PE teacher.

“I am pleased for them. When I was playing I never imagined that one day it would be something that could provide a living.”

Image copyright Popperfoto/Getty

Image caption Lynne (second left) represented England in Test matches and one day internationals

The inaugural Women’s World Cup was the result of the vision of the late Rachael Heyhoe Flint and a 40,000 backing from businessman Sir Jack Hayward, both from Wolverhampton (the latter went on to own football club Wolves).

Organised as a round robin event, England – whose team included nine teachers – beat Australia in the final deciding match on 28 July 1973.

“We didn’t get given any medals for winning the World Cup, although we were introduced to Princess Anne,” recalls Lynne of that historic day at Edgbaston.

“We drove ourselves to all of the England games in the tournament, and after the game against Australia I had to be back at work in south Wales on the Monday.”

Tour costs

It was the same story throughout her cricketing career – playing solely for the glory of winning, and for meagre playing expenses, interspersed with bouts of fundraising to keep the women’s cricket show on the road.

“I can tell you exactly about our finances – we paid for everything,” she recalls of an international career that saw her play 10 Tests, and 12 one day internationals for England over a 13-year period.

“We paid for our playing kit, our playing equipment, and most of the cost of our tours.”

Image copyright Popperfoto/Getty

Image caption Lynne (front, right) and team mates played numerous fund raising games

To raise money towards the cost of those overseas tours. cricketing legend Rachael Heyhoe Flint organised fund raising across England, and beyond.

And that meant a lot of travelling for Lynne, the sole Welsh player in the England team.

“Those games covered the whole of England,” she says. “We also played a fund raising game in Edinburgh one time. We played there on the Sunday, and drove back on the Sunday night.

“We worked, most of us had jobs, and had to be back at work on the Monday. It was pure dedication.”

The Women’s Cricket Association – all volunteers – who ran Women’s Cricket at the time, also paid a small amount towards the cost of overseas tours.

Woolworths bat

Lynne went on a four- and-a-half month tour of New Zealand and Australia in 1968-69, and fortunately her understanding employers Neath Girls Grammar School gave her the time off with pay.

She also went on tour to the West Indies in 1971, when Sir Jack Haywood stepped in to fund the fares of the travelling party.

“When we were away on tour we only stayed in hotels when we played Test matches, when we played friendly matches we were put up to stay with local families,” recalls Lynne.

Image copyright Hulton Archive/Getty

Image caption Lynne (r) with the legendary Rachel Heyhoe Flint on their return from the 1971 West Indies tour

Lynne got interested in cricket through father Raymond, a keen village cricketer and member of Dafen cricket club in Llanelli.

“From the age of six I used to watch him play every weekend. When I got to eight or nine I got my own cricket bat from Woolworths and would play with a tennis ball.

“There was no girls cricket when I was growing up, I played in a boys team at Christchurch church in Llanelli.”

She went on to play for Cardiff, Sussex Women, Glamorgan Women and West Counties Women.

“For the first couple of my playing years I didn’t have a car, and friends would have to drive me around,” says Lynne, a full MCC member.

“Then I managed to buy a little Singer Chamois car. I would drive thousands of miles each year playing cricket and hockey.”

Lynne Thomas on cricket pioneer Rachel Heyhoe Flint

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Sir Jack Hayward and Rachael Heyhoe Flint – prime movers behind the first World Cup

“She was wonderful person and a tremendous captain. She had a very good rapport with people from all levels of society.

“She was a good leader, and we would have done anything for her. She was one of the girls – on and off the field.

“She fought for women’s sport, truthfully and in an honest way. She started it all off, if it wasn’t for her the present day women would not enjoy a cricket career, and we wouldn’t have had the World Cup in England this year.”

Love of the game

Lynne, who with her team-mates were belatedly awarded winners’ medals this summer, will be at Lords on Sunday for the culmination of a tournament which she says “will have helped spread the game around the world”.

During the 1973 event she and Enid Bakewell put on 246 – an English opening partnership record that stood until Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins made 268 at Lords against South Africa in 2008.

Image copyright Don Miles

Image caption Lynne (second left) and batting partner Enid Bakewell, with Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins

“I was at Lords when our record was broken, and we were interviewed in the pavilion for three-quarters of an hour by the media,” she says. “But when we broke the record in 1973 nobody knew we had done it, not even ourselves.

“It was only decades later that my niece read about it in the Guinness Book of Firsts. We just played for the love of if, and did not worry about records.”

She adds: “It was the same all through my career – in fact we paid out for the pleasure of playing, it was all about money going out, not coming in.”

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[vintagesportspictures]

English cricketers Rachel Heyhoe-Flint, (batting), Edna Barker, (wicket-keeper), and Audrey Disbury practicing on Perth Beach during their tour of Australia (1968)

[beneaththepool]

English cricketers Rachel Heyhoe-Flint, (batting), Edna Barker, (wicket-keeper), and Audrey Disbury practising on Perth beach during their tour of Australia. Getty

[beneaththepool]

July 20 1963 — English cricketer Rachel Heyhoe-Flint hits Australian Miriam Knee to the boundary in the Oval Test at the Oval in London. Getty