The International Cricket Council (ICC) today celebrates the 50th anniversary of the start of the first-ever Cricket World Cup, the Women’s World Cup that was staged in England from 20 June 1973.
The anniversary marks a five-week long tribute to the tournament, building up to 28 July, the anniversary of the final match.
The ICC will publish content that celebrates the event that began global games for both the women’s and men’s games, seeking to pay tribute to the heroes of that era, the ICC said in a press release.
The tournament opener between Jamaica and New Zealand was washed out without a ball being bowled.
The tournament was won by England, who beat Australia by 92 runs at Edgbaston on 28 July 1973, with the trophy presented to the winning captain, Rachel Heyhoe-Flint.
The tournament featured seven teams – Australia, England, an International XI, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, and Young England. British businessman Sir Jack Hayward’s liberal sponsorship of GBP 40000 brought to life the first-ever Cricket World Cup.
Having a women’s World Cup before a men’s world event sets cricket apart from other major global sports.
To begin celebrations, the ICC has shared several photos from the event on ICC social media channels.
The photos include a picture of Jamaica cricketer Paulette Lynch posing with ICC Hall of Famer Heyhoe-Flint, who features in many of the images.
Several former players were delighted to share their memories of the inaugural event and what it meant to them and the game.
Enid Bakewell MBE was the tournament’s leading run scorer with 264 runs for England, scoring two centuries in four innings at an average of 88.00 and a high score of 118.
She said: “My main memories of 1973 are seeing my dad with his rug over his arm coming to me after I had scored a century!
“After the final had been won by England, we were presented to Princess Anne who later gave me an MBE at Buckingham Palace.
“Rachael Heyhoe-Flint was the real super woman who fought to promote the women’s game. She took her ukulele to Lord’s and played it outside the ground on the street to let people know that women played cricket.
“She was a real inspiration on and off the field.”
Lynne Thomas was the second leading run scorer and opened the batting for England. She ended the tournament with 263 runs in four innings that included a highest score of 134, averaging 87.66.
She said: “It was a great honour for me to represent England in the first-ever World Cup in 1973. I felt I was also representing my home country, Wales, of which I am very proud. It was a hugely successful tournament played in a true sporting spirit.
