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]
02:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]