Cricket Witness No 4 - Women at the WIcket

35 ‘The cohorts of cricket are being swollen’ played on weekday or Saturday evenings to accommodate the working patterns of the players. The most popular of these was the annual ‘Roses’ match, named the Hannah Drake Trophy after the Bradford councillor who initially proposed the body, which usually attracted thousands of spectators. 5 Although both the Association and the English Federation had a wide social base, the northern body contained more working-class players and was less preoccupied with issues of decorum or playing outfits. Caring less about their image and more about profits and opening access for working girls, the Federation were little troubled by players that needed to borrow their brother’s trousers to play. The body proudly claimed to provide cricket ‘irrespective of class, with a minimum expense to players.’ 6 Attendance at women’s cricket matches in England, 1930-1937 Date Participating Teams Venue Number of Spectators Women’s Cricket Association July 1930 South vs North Beckenham Cricket Ground 500 June 1935 Rest of England vs Touring Team The Oval 1,000 June 1937 England vs Australia Northampton County Ground 5,000 June 1937 England vs Australia Stanley Park, Blackpool 4,000 July 1937 England vs Australia The Oval 7,000 July 1937 West of England vs Australia May’s Bounty, Basingstoke 2,170 July 1937 Surrey vs Australia Mitcham Green, Surrey 10,000 English Women’s Cricket Federation May 1931 Leeds vs Bradford Headingley 5,000 July 1931 Halifax vs Leeds Thrum Hall, Halifax 2,000 June 1932 Yorkshire vs Lancashire Bradford Park Avenue 8,000 June 1934 Littleborough vs Burnley Littleborough, Lancashire 3,000 July 1934 Lancashire vs Yorkshire Stanley Park, Blackpool 2,000 September 1934 Burnley vs Littleborough Turf Moor, Burnley 3,000 June 1936 Yorkshire v Lancashire Bradford Park Avenue 2,000 Source: Various newspapers and magazines, including Women’s Cricket; Williams, Cricket and England, 97. In the case of matches played over more than one day, a cumulative total attendance has been noted. Estimates are based on potentially inaccurate approximations made by journalists. Although the English Federation appeared to decline in the late 1930s, partly at the expense of the Association, it was able to draw large crowds for a sustained period of time. While some in the local press treated games with triviality and hilarity, many did not consider them a mere throwaway novelty like the Original Lady Cricketers, even if their initial appeal was based on unfamiliarity. By the mid-1930s, local interest seemed sustainable and matches generated serious local media coverage. 7