LCS Meeting 22nd October

Isabelle Duncan our October speaker talking about Women’s . Isabelle was selling copies of her book which she claimed were heavily discounted for LCS members. For the second time this October the LCS had another very good audience for our meeting, around 130 people turned up, to hear another very different conversation about cricket, with the subject of Women in Cricket, being the topic of Isabelle’s talk.

The blazer on the left of the photo, was one of two, Official Cricket Ireland International Blazers given to me by Leicestershire CCC keeper Niall O’Brien. My thanks to Niall for such a generous donation. Not too many raffles where you have the chance to win such a prestigious prize. The two people who had the winning numbers and choose the blazers were Margaret Richardson and John Tillotson My thanks to everyone who has brought me items for the raffle, your continued help is very much appreciated.

The theme of this month’s raffle was Christmas, with chocolates and boxed games making up some of the prizes. Again your generosity proved as normal to be exceptional, with £119 being taken towards the LCS funds. Many thanks to my merry band of helpers.

The book stall took another £35 on Thursday night, Angie, Jean and Steve do a great job. And now the book stall is an integral part of our meetings.

Howard telling us about the career of our speaker. Isabelle is not only an author, she commentates on cricket for the BBC, she is a qualified coach having her own coaching organisation. She was captain of Albury CC, an all-male team apart from Isabelle. She told us that sadly last season she had been unable to play any cricket due to her commitments, commentating on the BBC. She has played for the famous Bunburys wandering team. Now she is a member of the MCC and sits on the MCC disciplinary committee. Isabelle is closely involved with the cricket charity Chance to Shine, where Wasim Khan, now LCCC CEO, used to be the chairman, she told us that she’s mate’s with Wasim. Isabelle told us that she was involved in the debate to admit women into the MCC. She had been a playing member of the club before being admitted as a full member.

Isabelle starting her talk. By telling us that she was at Grace Road when Leicestershire beat Derby in a very thrilling cricket match. She was commentating with Richard Rae on radio Leicester. The front row lads were thin on the ground on Thursday night. I’m told that the good looking one in the middle is named JIM not as I thought, Jeff, That’s not to say that the ones on either side are not good looking also. Got to be diplomatic, they always look such a very happy bunch in that cow corner. Isabelle started her talk by commending the Leicestershire and Rutland Women’s cricket team, on their promotion at the end of last season. She also told us that Mark Cosgrove (our captain) is playing cricket in Australia, with Sarah Taylor. For Northern Districts, in the South Australia cricket Association. Sarah is the first woman to play A grade cricket in a professional men’s team, Sarah is only one step away from playing first class cricket in Australia.

Our thanks to Roger Stead (on the left) for booking another very different style of speaker. Isabelle is only the second woman to address our society, the first being Eddie Barlow’s wife, Cally Barlow, who spoke to us in 2011 Before she went on, Isabelle asked for some audience participation, she asked us, who was the first ever player to score 100 runs take 10 wickets including a hat trick in a test match. She told us that the answer was in keeping with her talk. No-one was able to correctly guess the answer, it’s an Australian women Elizabeth Rebecca “BETTY” Wilson. In a test match played at St. Kilda against England in 1957 / 58. In the first inning’s she took 7 for 7. (well, I had the internet to look up the answer). Isabelle told us that Women’s cricket started in England as early as the middle of the 18th century. The first recorded women’s match was played in July 1745, when the ladies of Bramley played the Ladies of Hambledon at . At this time ladies teams played under lots of different names, such as Maids versus Married, or married v single, one women’s match described in Isabelle’s book, as the women of the Hills of Sussex in orange, played the women of the Dales in blue. At this time lots of money sometimes as much as £1000 being gambled on the outcome of games and the ladies played for various prizes. One paragraph I must quote from the book comes from a game played in 1765. A few days since, a cricket match was played at Upham Hants, by eleven married against eleven maiden women, for a large plum cake, a barrel of ale and regale of tea, which was won by the latter. After the diversion the company met and drank tea, they spent the evening together and concluded it with a ball.

Howard being asked something by Norman.

Up to Thursday’s meeting our membership figures were down on last year, we have around 160 payed up members, but we have attracted quite a few new members. Please do tell your friends about the society, its word of mouth that’s our best advertisement. One item from Isabelle’s talk interested me personally, the first known example of the , was put together in 1744 by The London Cricket Club at the in the city. Isabelle gave us another quote from her book, concerning a Miss Burrell. In 1777, a match took place at the Oakes, Surrey, and the home of the Countess of Derby. The match played in private between the countess’s eleven against other “Ladies of Quality and Fashion. Miss Elizabeth Ann Burrell achieved undying fame by getting more notches, than any lady in the game, and Diana like, creating so irresistible an impression, that the Eighth Duke of Hamilton, fell in love with her on the spot and married her before the next cricket season. That report came from the Morning Post.

Isabelle telling us that’s she’s still single

A few members paying their membership fee I believe Isabelle sold quite a lot of her books at half time, I know she signed quite a few.

Isabelle answering questions during the second part of our meeting.

Colin Crosby gave the formal vote of thanks on behalf of the membership.

The next LCS meeting is on Thursday 19th November when Matthew Engel will be our guest speaker

Matthew was editor of Wisden for some time.

Phil Veasey On behalf of the LCS committee