Cricket Witness No 4 - Women at the WIcket

105 Separate but Equal: Feminism Divides the Game section. Pollard publicly chastised the English Federations numerous times for the strong grip men held over the organisation, claiming it was ‘wrong in principle’. ‘There are plenty of educated, able women all quite capable of organising a women’s games club’, she wrote in the Morning Post in 1932, ‘I admit men can help in a great many ways, but the officers of clubs should be, I am convinced, women.’ 37 Cricket’s two organising bodies tussled over more than women’s autonomy and self-determination, however. Their feud went to the heart of amateurism in women’s sport. Both organisations charged gate fees, but the Association players did not receive any money and the profits were placed back into developing the game. While English Federation players were not formally paid professionals, they received expenses and a ‘collection’ by spectators was common for good performances such as hitting a half-century or bowling a hat-trick. Marjorie Pollard was ‘convinced that these girls can be exploited for the purposes of a gate.’ Her view was shared by other women in the Association with feminist leanings. Frances Heron-Maxwell persuaded the WCA committee to launch a rapid expansion into the North of England in 1932 ‘to counteract leagues and ensure cricket being played on the right lines and not exploited by men .’ Her proposal was strongly supported. 38 There was certainly some truth to these claims. In local newspapers, the English Federation couched their language in terms of financial incentives and often used gate money to justify the existence of the game. Their key point, frequently made, was that the ‘ultimate benefit’ of women’s cricket was experienced by men, as profits were placed back into the men’s sections of clubs. When the Bradford Women’s Evening Cricket League was launched in 1931, clubs were assured that the women’s game was secondary to theirs, and the official purpose of the league was ‘to aid men’s cricket.’ 39 Women’s league cricket was a golden goose for struggling men’s clubs in the Great Depression, but never promised to last long. The Bradford Women’s Evening League reported a profit of over £70 in 1931, compared to just over £5 for the men’s league, but while the latter claimed the profits in good times, they were unwilling to accept responsibility for any loss. In the Yorkshire Federation, Todmorden reported a considerable profit of £21 from women’s games in 1933, and the committee also praised the venture for adding to their membership. Despite this, when only £8, 11 shillings and 10 pence profit was generated the following year, the club concluded the ‘novelty’ had worn off and swiftly dropped the team. This was no doubt a slap in the face to players that had bailed the club out of financial trouble and still pulled in regular crowds. 40 Although Todmorden jumped ship early, many women’s sections withdrew from 1937 onwards due to decreasing revenue. It was precisely this double standard that motivated the WCA to adopt its separatist, amateur stance. The Association was unwilling for the sport to be held to ransom in the hands of uncommitted men. Older members had lived through – or were at least aware – of how the Original English Lady Cricketers (1890-1892)