Cricket Witness No 4 - Women at the WIcket

43 ‘The cohorts of cricket are being swollen’ To promote growth, the Association pursued a policy of decentralisation to devolve decision-making and place control in the hands of democratically- elected county committees. Counties with a minimum of one school and two clubs were able to form county associations, the first of which were established by Durham and Lancashire in 1931. Marjorie Pollard, the enduring voice of women’s cricket for almost two decades, estimated over 5,000 women and girls were playing in Britain by this time. Seven years later, 19 associations had been formed and organised into five parent districts: East Anglia, Midlands, North, South and West. By the end of the interwar period, it was common for county associations to provide coaching in local schools and approach recent school-leavers with subsidised membership rates. 24 Most WCA matches were private affairs, unlike the Federation games, but district and international games held at first-class county grounds were gated to raise money which was invested back in the Association. Estimated total playing members affiliated to the Women’s Cricket Association, 1927-1939 Year Total Affiliated Bodies Estimated Total Playing Members 1927 46 1727 1928 59 2139 1929 76 2680 1930 98 3397 1931 110 3770 1932 122 3960 1933 130 4152 1934 145 4640 1935 167 5331 1936 186 5913 1937 196 6186 1938 195 6206 1939 210 6800 Source: WCA, Reports and Annual General Meetings (1927-1939). These number exclude non-playing members. No significant overlap between English Federation and WCA members has been identified, or players playing for numerous clubs. Individual Playing Members (usually) unaffiliated to a club have also been included. Although county associations were usually formed of single counties, the Civil Service also gained this standing due to the significant size of its membership (five clubs and a large internal London league), and some counties with fewer teams formed a single collective association, such as Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Like the central WCA committee, they did not allow men to perform executive roles or have voting rights, but could be co-opted in an advisory capacity or fill honorary positions. After 1932 selection committees were appointed, regular trials held and eligibility qualifications implemented in an effort to rapidly organise the sport. Matches between counties were strictly amateur and non-competitive,