WOMEN CRICKETERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21882, 18 August 1934, Page 9

WOMEN CRICKETERS

TOUR BY ENGLISH TEAM 1 LEAVING WORK FOR PLAY i , average age twenty-four Writing , of. the .visit, of «T,n ,English women's-cricket team to Australia in November, Miss Marjorie Pollard', one of the. best-knoWn. English- ->sportswomen, says:—"The big -thrill---in women's cricket has been provided by the announcement of the names of the 15 fpr.tunate people who will qpend the coming winter in'' Australia : playing cricket. , A team chosen from thd 15 players will moot the Rest of England in September,, and I am afraid,, the I Rest will havb a rough time.

" But how can these women afford to go to Australia? It is (juite true that the players must: bear'their own expenses between this country .and Australia. I haptfcn to know that two or ■ three of the chosen players recog- ! nise the opportunity, as. the chance of a lifetime, and, in spite 6f all hazards and forebodings of the future, they hav6 taken the chance—evert.'if it'nieans a worry or two later. Others have found no'difficulties in the way. They [ have cricket-loving fathers* and for them the path has; boon! made easy. Still others—just- a very few —with money of their own; have only their own. affairs to consider, '

I have been asked what these girls do. Do they play cricket every day? Most certainly they do not. With > two exceptions they work,- and work hard. The two exceptions ar6 MisS "0. Valentine and Miss M. MncLaghlen, who live at home. The captain of the team is Miss Betty Archdale. She is a most interesting personality. She graduated at a Canadian university, then studied law in England. Miss Archdale is one of the keenest games players I know. She keeps goal for Kent at hockey and is now the captain of the Comp Cricket* Club. A more able, clearheaded, sane and imperturbablo person it would be difficult to find. " In the team are as many as five trained games mistresses.' iThey are Miss J. E. Partridge (Wycombe Abbey), Miss E. Snowball (Sfa Swithito's*/Winchester)* Miss M. E. Richards (St. Alexandra's, Dublin), Mifis H, E. Green (Northwood College), and Miss M. Child (St. Ethel.burgas, Harrowgate). The team is amazingly young. A rough estimate makes it average 24 years, and so no one expects students to be in it.

Miss Spear, the only London, schoolgirl (St. Paul's, is still a student at Dartford Physical' Training CoJß'ge. Miss Burlestori .is at Anstev Physical Training Cojlege,: but lives in Sunderland. Miss. J. Liebert is an £rt student at Bushey, bijt. lives in Pjreston, ftnd Miss M. Hide, the best all-round player. in the country, is at Reading University'studying agriculture. Then there are three, wellknown London girls, all of 'whom work in offices. Miss Turner and Miss Taylor both belong to the Gunne'rsby, .Club and Miss G. A. Morgan, of the ; Ministry of Health, is captain and wicketkeeper of the Civil Service."