150 years of women's cricket celebrated in Bendigo | Bendigo Advertiser | March 29, 2024
Bendigo commemorates the first official women's cricket match played during the Easter Fair in 1874.
150 years on, team captain and top scorer Barbara Rae was honoured as her great-granddaughter received a special bat.
150 years on, team captain and top scorer Barbara Rae was honoured as her great-granddaughter received a special bat.
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00:00 A Cricketing Milestone in Bendigo
00:03 150 years ago at the 1874 Bendigo Easter Fair, Australian women officially played cricket for the first time.
00:12 150 years later, we're here to watch a re-enactment of the day and to recognise the style of the original match, who faced significant backlash at the time.
00:21 The original match was played at Camp Hill, now known as Roslyn Park, but the special anniversary match was played at the Queen Elizabeth Ophel.
00:31 A cricket clinic with young female cricketers was followed by the anniversary match between long-time rivals Bendigo and Ballarat.
00:40 A horse-drawn carriage and old-fashioned clothing took crowds back in time, but the highlight of the day was undoubtedly when Diane Robertson accepted a special bat to honour her great-grandmother's achievements.
01:00 It's a great honour to receive this cricket bat. My great-grandmother, Barbara Ray, was the captain of the winning team and the highest scorer of the match in 1874.
01:13 I think you need to be reminded of that. And her prize was an inscribed cricket bat.
01:18 She declined to accept her prize, largely because of the scathing criticisms that we've just heard about.
01:25 Barbara and the other women cricketers stated that they would only appear in public again for a charitable cause.
01:31 So it's especially rewarding to be able to honour her memory and the other women cricketers by accepting this cricket bat today.
01:39 Barbara Ray played at a time when women needed permission to play male-only sports, and the team played despite insults in the press, including when they were called "frisky matrons" and "forward spinsters".
01:54 150 years on, Barbara Ray's great-granddaughter has finally received her long-deserved prize.
02:04 [END]
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