A Welcome Headache
History Makers—Part XVI
What follows is the latest installment in our series on the inaugural women’s Ashes tour of 1934/35. The previous installment is here.
14th December 1934
After experiencing Australian country life in Deniliquin, the English touring team journeyed to Sydney by train to play New South Wales. They stayed at the University of Sydney’s Women’s College. Wet weather meant they had to practice indoors rather than on the university’s turf wicket.
As with Western Australia and Victoria, adapting to turf is challenging for the New South Wales team. Their strength is their batting. Pritchard is described as the most attractive batter, and with opener Ruby Monaghan is considered a certainty for the First Test in Brisbane.
The Final XII
The NSW Women’s Cricket Association, founded in 1927, has organised a competitive grade competition since 1928. They won the first three state championships, and were runners-up in the first multi-day tournament. Following the trial matches, the New South Wales selector panel, Mrs. O. Peatfield, Misses B. Preddy, and M. Peden, announced the State team. The team, led by Margaret Peden, is a well-balanced eleven, but the batters are more potent than the bowlers.
Margaret Peden, 29, captain (Kuring-gai), has led the New South Wales team every year except 1931. She has been an outstanding leader in Australian cricket, and was instrumental in founding the NSW WCA and the Australian Women’s Cricket Council. She is a reliable bat and a good change bowler. She has played two matches, scored one run, and taken two wickets (9.00) in multi-day cricket.
Edna Bloomfield, 18 (Cypress), started her career as a bowler, but she has excelled as a batter this season, presently at the top of the grade batting averages, having scored a brilliant century, followed by 80 not out on successive Saturdays. She is a reliable slip fielder. She has yet to appear in multi-day cricket.
***Fernie Blade, 24, formerly Shevill (Sans Souci), is one of three cricketing sisters. A right-hand batter and left-arm fast bowler, she has played all the inter-state games since 1930, taking 48 wickets at 5.00. Multi-day stats: 2 matches, 8 wickets at 9.75, and 9 runs at 9.00.
Mollie Flaherty, 20 (Cheeric), a right-hand bat and fast bowler. She has also represented NSW and Australia at baseball. She will make her debut in multi-day cricket versus England.
Amy Hudson, 18 (Annandale), is a leading all-rounder who can bowl both legbreaks and pace. A contender for the Australian XI, she recently took a hat-trick in grade cricket. Multi-Day stats: 2 matches, 4 runs at 2.00, and 5 wickets at 12.20 .
Peggy Knight (Sans Souci), is a left-handed top-order batter and slow bowler who took five wickets in the New South Wales trial match. She will seek to impress the Australian selectors. Her multi-day record of 2 matches, 2 runs (1.00), and 1 wicket at 3.00 does not reflect her true potential.
***Ruby Monaghan, 18 (Wollongong), came to cricket from Vigaro. She is the only member of the team from upcountry. She takes the train from Wollongong to Sydney each time, where she plays for Annandale. Multi-Day stats: 2 matches, 30 runs at 10.00.
Miss B. Peden, 27 (Kuring-gai), younger sister of Margaret, is a right-handed bat and medium-paced bowler. Injury prevented her from appearing in multi-day cricket, but she has taken 16 wickets at 8.08 in inter-state cricket since 1930.
Hazel Pritchard, 20 (Cheeric), opens the batting and is strongly tipped to play for Australia. She has only played one multi-day match without batting, but has scored 131 runs in Interstate cricket at an average of 65.50 including the highest score in the championships when scoring 76 not out versus Queensland in February 1932.
****Miss Essie Shevill, 26 (Sans Souci), the oldest of the Shevill sisters, is a sound batter, usually at number three, and an occasional but useful legbreak bowler. In her two multi-day matches, she scored 79 runs at 34.50 and took 2 wickets at 24.50.
Rene Shevll, 24 (Sans Souci), is Fernie Blade’s twin sister and Essie’s younger sister. She is a middle-order batter and wicketkeeper. She kept wicket in the 1933-34 interstate championship, ahead of Wegemund, taking 1 catch and 1 stumping, but only scoring 8 runs. NSW is fortunate to have two outstanding wicketkeepers who could gain national selection.
Alice Wegemund, 27, (Cypress), right-hand bat and excellent wicket-keeper. She has represented NSW since 1930, but has yet to appear in multi-day cricket. A good performance against England will nudge the selectors.
*** Selected for the 1934 Australian XI.
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