MCC Women

On Monday 16th March 1999 the most famous cricket club in the world made ten eminent women Honorary Life Members; Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owner of Lord’s Cricket Ground and the guardian of the Laws of Cricket, had voted to allow women to join.

MCC's Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Former England captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint and Sheila Hill - who umpired the first women’s World Cup Final - were brought into the fold.

Like men who want to become members of MCC, women have to apply to join the 18-year-long (and rising!) waiting list.

Becoming a Playing Member of the Club is a fast-track to membership - women can become Members after playing nine games in three years if they prove themselves to have the right attitude and skills to promote MCC in the matches they play.

Members have a duty not just to promote competitive and enjoyable cricket, but also to uphold the Spirit of Cricket during games.

MCC Women played their first game in May 1999 against a Surrey under-21 side and Wendy Watson celebrated the historic day by scoring a century.

MCC stalwart Judy Wilmot Since then MCC’s playing ‘squad’ of nearly 100 Playing and Out-Match Members and candidates have competed in more than 200 games.

Three players - Judy Wilmot, Sian Price and Coral Handley - have all notched up over 50 appearances - over a quarter of MCC’s matches each.

However, the beauty of MCC is that it brings cricketers from all walks of life together.

England's multi-trophy winning women - at Lord's This means that double World Cup winners Caroline Atkins and Claire Taylor could represent the Club against schoolgirl opposition. Good club cricketers who have made impressive performances get to pit their skills against some of England’s finest young cricket talent - the MCC Young Cricketers and Loughborough University.

One of the main aims of the women’s section of the Club is to develop the game and give opponents a good standard of opposition.

Consequently MCC Women often precede matches against school and junior teams with training sessions, and usually play ‘declaration’ rather than limited overs cricket in an effort to keep games competitive.

In 2009 MCC Women played in 27 fixtures against counties, universities, clubs, schools and the Armed Forces.

They have previously toured Sri Lanka, the Channel Islands, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 2010, a 14-strong MCC Women squad led by former England and Yorkshire all-rounder Bev Nicholson will tour Trinidad & Tobago.