WOMEN’S CRICKET

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12133, 22 September 1936, Page 3

WOMEN’S CRICKET

TEN YEARS IN ENGLAND (From our Correspondent). (By Air Hail). London, Aug'. 29. Ten teams of women cricketers will meet throughout next week in the picturesque village of Colwall, Herefordshire, to celebrate the formation there ten years ago of the Women’s Cricket Association. Many of the players will be games mistresses from famous girls’ schools, while in the star event of the week —an England v. Scotland “international” —such stars as Miss Marjorie Pollard and Miss A. Bull will appear. > The village of Colwall is expecting an influx of thousands of spectators during the week, for women’s cricket has long since ceased being regarded as a joke even by the most sceptical of male diehards. Fathers and brothers are to be found at any big match watching their daughters and sisters play. Certainly the prestige of women cricketers has risen considerably since the first official tour' of an invincible England team to Australia last year. Supporters are eagerly anticipating the return visit next year of an Australian team which is to play three three-da'y matches —the first at Northampton from June 12 to June k l 5, the second at Blackpool from k June 26 to June 29, and the last at tho former strong-hold of masculine supremacy in cricket, the Oval, from July 10 to July 13. Ten years ago, before the formation of the Women’s Cricket Association, such “Test” matches would have evoked nothing but scorn from men enthusiasts of the great sport. But to-day the vague, rather unorganised sort of game that used to be women’s cricket has been transformed into as keen and skilful a sport as even the most critical stalwarts of Lord’s and the Oval could wish to see.