Ladies and Lords: A History of Women's Cricket in Britain

by Rafaelle Nicholson, Richard Holt (Editor), Matthew Taylor (Editor)

Overview

This book offers the first ever academic study of women’s cricket in Britain from its origins in the 18th century to the present day. It examines women’s cricket from grassroots to international level, in schools, universities, the workplace and clubs. The book draws on a wealth of new source material including player diaries and scrapbooks, club records and the records of the Women’s Cricket Association.

Through use of oral history interviews with many former players, the book argues that women’s cricket was a site of feminism across its history, and an important source of empowerment to the women who participated in the sport. However, it also examines barriers to women’s participation, analyzing the persistence of opposition to women’s sport across the twentieth and into the twenty-first century. Overall, the book uses women’s cricket as a case study to highlight the existence of ongoing fundamental inequalities in the quantity and quality of women's leisure in contemporary Britain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788742931
Publisher:	Peter Lang Ltd, International Academic Publishers
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Series:	Sport, History and Culture , #9
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Rafaelie Nicholson completed her PhD thesis at Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this she gained a BA in Modern History and Politics at Merton College, Oxford, and an MSt in Women's Studies at Mansfield College, Oxford. She has written on women's cricket for ESPNCricinfo and Wisden, and is the editor of the women's cricket website CRICKETher.com.

Table of Contents

List of Figures ix

Acknowledgements xi

List of abbreviations xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 1745-1926: Origins 25

Chapter 2 1926-1945: The formation of the Women's Cricket Association 55

Chapter 3 1945-1955: 'Brighter cricket'? 105

Chapter 4 1956-1970: 'Modern life militates against women's cricket' 147

Chapter 5 The 1970s: Women's cricket and Women's Liberation 195

Chapter 6 1980-1992: 'Limping along' 233

Chapter 7 1993-2000: To a merger and beyond 269

Conclusion 325

Bibliography 349

Appendixes 371

Index 395