New Zealand Awaits
History Makers—Part XXXIII
What follows is the latest installment in our series on the inaugural women’s Ashes tour of 1934/35. The previous installment is here.
30th January 1935
A Tough Schedule
Betty Archdale’s England team has arrived in New Zealand to play six provincial games in fifteen days, traveling from Auckland in the North Island to Invercargill at the bottom of the South Island before the tour culminates in the Christchurch Test Match.
Final Australian Days at Leisure
The team had a few days between the end of the final Test and boarding the SS Wanganella to relax and reflect on the tour. Archdale warmly thanked the Australian Women’s Cricket Council for their hospitality, and hopes to see the Australians in England in the next couple of years. She was impressed with the warmness towards women’s cricket from Australian men; she had encountered a good deal of antipathy in England (Hokitta Guardian 29-1-35).
Some of the team sailed from Melbourne on the SS Wanganella, while others traveled to Sydney by train, where they joined the others. They spent a day in Sydney, visiting the Blue Mountains or surfing, before receiving a warm send-off from the New South Wales Women’s Cricket Association players and supporters. They were met on board by Misses Hall and Plimsoll, representatives of the New Zealand Cricket Board, who had been holidaying in Sydney.
15 Random Facts and Figures
Firsts in Test Cricket
Hazel Prichard faced the first ball from Myrtle Maclagan.
Pritchard hit the first run.
Maclagan took the first four wickets.
Maclagan scored the first fifty.
Maclagan scored the first hundred.
Runs, wickets and fielding
Myrtle Maclagan scored the most runs, with 253, but Betty Snowball had the highest average, 64.00.
The leading fielder was Joy Partridge, who took five catches in the series, including three in one innings.
Myrtle Maclagan was the leading wicket-taker with 20. However, Mary Spear had the best average at 5.91.
Maclagan and Spear took 32 wickets, the same number as the Australian team combined.
Nell Mclarty had the highest bowling average at 93.00.
Partnerships
England’s highest partnership was 145 compared to Australia's 44.
England’s highest average/ wicket was for the sixth wicket at 41.33, and Australia’s was for the tenth wicket at 20.75.
Minutes at the crease
Myrtle Maclagan and Betty Snowball batted for 789 minutes, the rest of the team 794 .
Australian captain Margaret Peden scored 32 runs in 146 minutes; her English counterpart, Betty Archdale, took 197 minutes to score 77 runs.
Myrtle Maclagan batted for 180 minutes, scoring England’s highest score of 119. Essie Shevill took 252 minutes to score 63*.
The Full Averages can be found here.
Brent,
Your brilliant installments about this inaugural tour have been so interesting and informative, and many thanks for all your efforts to produce them. They would make an excellent book. Myrtle Maclagan was superb and should not be forgotten.