Lives in Cricket No 49 - Enid Bakewell

66 still, but each time she got up a wicket fell! After that, someone regularly scattered sweepings over the floor to keep her occupied, and it seemed to work . When Rachael Heyhoe Flint’s epic innings secured the draw, there were no reports in the national press. On the same day a short report mentioned that in South Africa, white and black cricketers had agreed to play together at club level. The one-day series started at Canterbury on August 1 and Australia made 214 for five in 40 overs, Enid’s eight overs costing 40 runs. England, still fatigued by the ordeal in the Test match, struggled throughout, losing the top three for 20 and eventually reaching 127 for six. Enid, first out, made two. The second (this time a 60-over match) was at Lord’s on August 4 (this had apparently required a change to MCC’s constitution), and Australia were out for 161, Enid taking two for 30 in her 12 overs. England made 162 for two, Enid making 50 – and being run out. Nothing unusual about that, but Rachael Heyhoe Flint says: ‘ She left the field to a standing ovation with a smile on her face, which at the time, as I passed her on the way out to bat, I put down to her unfailing cheerfulness. In fact, she told me recently that she got herself out on purpose: ‘Chris Watmough told me off, but I thought you had done so much to get us to play at Lord’s that you would want to bat!’ Too right I did – but not at the expense of her having the chance to score a century on such a high profile occasion!’ This appearance at Lord’s for the first time produced an article in the Guardian by Gillian Linscott (later better known as a crime writer) headed 1973 to 1976 This image has been removed due to copyright restrictions This image has been removed due to copyright restrictions This image has been removed due to copyright restrictions