Myrtle Maclagan
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Myrtle Ethel Maclagan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 April 1911 Ambala, (now in Haryana) United Provinces, India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 11 March 1993 (aged 81) Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right arm off spin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 5) | 28 December 1934 v Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 31 July 1951 v Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 18 September 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Myrtle Ethel Maclagan MBE (born 2 April 1911 in Ambala, United Provinces, India; died 11 March 1993 in Surrey, England) was an English cricketer.
Professional career
She played in the first women's Test match in 1934, and was one of the best-known women cricketers of her day, famous for making high scores against the Australians. She scored the first Test century in women's cricket on 4 January 1935, when she made 119 for England against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground. In that same historical women's test match, she notched another record for becoming the first woman cricketer to open the batting as well as to open the bowling in a same test match.[1][2] The English men's team had lost the Ashes a few months earlier, and the Morning Post praised Maclagan's batting prowess with the quatrain:
- What matter that we lost, mere nervy men
- Since England's women now play England's game,
- Wherefore Immortal Wisden, take your pen
- And write MACLAGAN on the scroll of fame.
After the 1934–35 tour to Australia and New Zealand, Maclagan also played against Australia in England in 1937. After the war, she returned to cricket, touring Australia and New Zealand again in 1948–49 and then appearing against Australia in England in 1951.
Honours
In 1966 she was awarded the MBE for Army Services.
References
- ^ "Records | Women's Test matches | All-round records | Opening the batting and bowling in the same match | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ "1st Test, England Women tour of Australia at Brisbane, Dec 28-Dec 1934 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- Cricinfo page on Myrtle Maclagan
- CricketArchive page on Myrtle Maclagan
- Independent Obituary, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint