Australian Women's Cricket Championships Explained

Australian Women's Cricket Championships
Country:Australia
Cricket Format:First-class, Limited overs
Tournament Format:Round robin and/or knockout
First:1930–31
Last:1995–96
Most Successful:Victoria (36 titles)

The Australian Women's Cricket Championships was a women's cricket competition which ran from 1931 until 1996. It usually operated as a first-class competition, with matches played over two days. Later editions included limited overs cricket instead of, or alongside, two-day matches.

For the most part, the competition was held annually within a two-week timeframe and contested primarily by teams from the six states of Australia plus the ACT. Player performance at each tournament was used as a guide to determining Australian team selection for future international fixtures. It was the country's first formalised interstate women's cricket competition, with teams having previously only played one-off and friendly matches. Victoria was the most successful team, winning a total of 36 titles. The tournament was replaced in 1996–97 by the Women's National Cricket League.

History

1931–1940: Pre-War years

The inaugural edition of the Australian Women's Cricket Championships took place from 21 to 25 March 1931, involving New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Matches were played with two innings per team in a single day and are not considered to have first-class status.[1] The first match, between New South Wales and Victoria, was abandoned without a ball bowled.[2] New South Wales and Victoria then both won their respective matches against Queensland.[3] [4] A second match was played between New South Wales and Victoria, resulting in victory for the former.[5] Records kept by Women's Cricket Australia—the national governing body for the female branch of the sport until its merger with the Australian Cricket Board in 2003—indicate New South Wales were crowned as champions.[6]

Matches were extended to two days for the 1933–34 tournament and were considered to have first-class status for the first time.[7] South Australia joined in 1934–35, taking the number of teams up to four,[8] and made their second appearance in 1936–37 which coincided with the debut of Western Australia.[9] [10]

1947–1972: Guest teams

After a hiatus caused by World War II, the tournament resumed in 1946–47 which saw Victoria defeat New South Wales in the final.[11] South Australia won their first title in 1951–52.[12] In 1956–57, New Zealand made a one-off appearance, while Queensland and South Australia fielded a combined team. For the 1959–60 tournament,[13] New Zealand domestic team Auckland and a Victoria Second XI made sole appearances, while Queensland and South Australia—for the second and last time—once again fielded a combined team.[14] In 1960–61, Queensland and Western Australia fielded a combined team for the first and only time.[15] In 1962–63, Canterbury featured for a single occasion,[16] while in 1967–68 fellow New Zealand domestic team Otago also made a one-off appearance.[17] [18] [19] [20]

1973–1978: Single-innings matches added

Following the introduction of One Day International cricket, the 1972–73 season saw the addition of single-innings matches to the competition for the first time. The tournament, which was won by Victoria, used a 60-overs-per-side format for all games as preparation for the inaugural Women's Cricket World Cup.[21] The next three editions reverted to two-day first-class matches,[22] [23] [24] before the 1976–77 tournament was once again played as a limited overs competition ahead of the second Women's Cricket World Cup.[25] [26]

1978–1990: Expansion

Australian Capital Territory joined the competition in 1978–79 and Tasmania made their first appearance in 1985–86.[27] [28] Matches from 1978–79 to 1989–90 were held over two days with the exceptions of 1981–82 and 1987–88, when they played as 60-over affairs as preparation for upcoming World Cup tournaments. The number of matches increased during this period, with each team playing as many as 12 matches in 1987–88. Western Australia won their first title in 1986–87.[29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]

1990–1996: Hybrid format, WNCL succession

The 1990–91 tournament introduced a hybrid format whereby group stage games were played as 60-over matches, followed by a finals series with matches played over two days. From 1991–92, 50-over matches were played instead of 60-over matches. The hybrid format lasted for five seasons.[37] [38] [39] [40] [41]

The 1995–96 tournament was the final edition of the Australian Women's Cricket Championships. It was played as a 50-over competition with no two-day matches.[42] Victoria won the tournament, beating New South Wales in the final by ten runs.[43] The competition was succeeded by the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) which took place for the first time in 1996–97.[44] [45] The introduction of the WNCL meant the country's top domestic competition would change from a two-week tournament to a fully-fledged national league in which games would be played on a home-and-away basis across the course of a season. Women's cricket in Australia has since undergone a highly successful transformative phase, especially with regards to the sport's rising level of professionalism among its elite female players.[46] [47] [48] [49]

Teams

TeamFirstLastTitles
Auckland1959–601959–60
Australian Capital Territory1978–791994–95
Canterbury1962–631962–63
New South Wales1930–311995–96
New Zealand1956–571956–57
Otago1967–681967–68
Queensland1930–311995–96
Queensland–South Australia1956–571959–60
Queensland–Western Australia1960–611960–61
South Australia1934–351995–96
Tasmania1985–861990–91
Victoria1930–311995–96
Victoria Second XI1959–601959–60
Western Australia1936–371995–96
Source:

Results

SeasonWinnerRunners-upMatch formatRef
1930–31New South WalesVictoria1 day
1931–32New South WalesVictoria1 day[50]
1932–33New South WalesVictoria1 day[51]
1933–34VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1934–35VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1935–36VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1936–37New South WalesVictoria2 days
1937–38New South WalesVictoria2 days[52]
1938–39VictoriaQueensland2 days[53]
1939–40VictoriaNew South Wales2 days[54]
1940–41Not contested due to World War II
1941–42
1942–43
1943–44
1944–45
1945–46
1946–47VictoriaNew South Wales2 days[55]
1947–48Victoria2 days[56]
1948–49Victoria2 days[57]
1949–50Victoria2 days[58]
1950–51New South Wales2 days[59]
1951–52South Australia2 days
1952–53Victoria2 days[60]
1953–54Victoria2 days[61]
1954–55Victoria2 days[62]
1955–56Victoria2 days[63]
1956–57VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1957–58Not contested due to English tour of Australia
1958–59New South Wales2 days[64]
1959–60Victoria2 days
1960–61Victoria2 days
1961–62New South Wales2 days[65]
1962–63New South Wales2 days
1963–64Victoria2 days[66]
1964–65VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1965–66VictoriaSouth Australia2 days
1966–67VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1967–68VictoriaSouth Australia2 days
1968–69Not contested due to English tour of Australia
1969–70Victoria2 days[67]
1970–71VictoriaNew South Wales2 days[68]
1971–72Not contested
1972–73VictoriaNew South Wales60 overs
1973–74VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1974–75New South WalesVictoria2 days
1975–76VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1976–77VictoriaWestern Australia60 overs
1977–78Victoria2 days
1978–79VictoriaNew South Wales2 days
1979–80South Australia2 days
1980–81VictoriaSouth Australia2 days
1981–82VictoriaNew South Wales60 overs
1982–83VictoriaSouth Australia2 days
1983–84New South WalesSouth Australia2 days
1984–85Not contested due to English tour of Australia
1985–86Victoria2 days
1986–87Western AustraliaNew South Wales2 days
1987–88VictoriaNew South Wales60 overs
1988–89Not contested due to World Cup in Australia
1989–90New South WalesVictoria2 days
1990–91VictoriaNew South Wales60 overs, 2 days
1991–92South AustraliaNew South Wales50 overs, 2 days
1992–93South AustraliaNew South Wales50 overs, 2 days
1993–94New South WalesVictoria50 overs, 2 days
1994–95South AustraliaVictoria50 overs, 2 days
1995–96VictoriaNew South Wales50 overs

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1930/31. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  2. Web site: 21 March 1931. New South Wales Women v Victoria Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  3. Web site: 23 March 1931. New South Wales Women v Queensland Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  4. Web site: 25 March 1931. Queensland Women v Victoria Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  5. Web site: 24 March 1931. New South Wales Women v Victoria Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  6. Web site: Womens Cricket Australia - All and Sundry Statistics . 2021-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140204093739fw_/http://www.southernstars.org.au/natstat.htm . 4 February 2014 . dead.
  7. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1933/34. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  8. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1934/35. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  9. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1935/36. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  10. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1936/37. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  11. Web site: 11 March 1947. New South Wales Women v Victoria Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  12. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1951/52. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  13. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1956/57. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  14. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1959/60. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  15. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1960/61. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  16. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1962/63. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  17. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1964/65. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  18. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1965/66. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  19. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1966/67. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  20. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1967/68. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  21. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1972/73. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  22. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1973/74. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  23. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1974/75. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  24. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1975/76. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  25. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1976/77. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  26. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1977/78. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  27. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1978/79. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  28. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1985/86. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  29. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1979/80. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  30. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1980/81. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  31. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1981/82. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  32. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1982/83. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  33. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1983/84. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  34. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1986/87. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  35. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1987/88. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  36. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1989/90. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  37. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1990/91. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  38. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1991/92. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  39. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1992/93. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  40. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1993/94. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  41. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1994/95. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  42. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1995/96. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  43. Web site: 13 January 1996. New South Wales Women v Victoria Women. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  44. Web site: WNCL Cricket Australia. 2021-02-02. www.cricketaustralia.com.au.
  45. Web site: Women's National Cricket League 1996/97. 23 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  46. Web site: 2017-09-11. Australia's women cricketers now playing for love and money. 2020-11-02. www.abc.net.au. en-AU.
  47. Web site: Australia's female cricketers leap ahead in pay race. 2020-11-02. www.espncricinfo.com. en.
  48. Web site: 2017-08-04. Women big winners in cricket pay deal. 2020-11-02. www.dailytelegraph.com.au. en.
  49. Web site: 2017-08-03. Cricket pay deal lauded as biggest windfall in women's sport. 2020-11-02. www.abc.net.au. en-AU.
  50. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1931/32. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  51. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1932/33. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  52. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1937/38. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  53. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1938/39. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  54. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1939/40. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  55. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1946/47. 20 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  56. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1947/48. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  57. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1948/49. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  58. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1949/50. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  59. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1950/51. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  60. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1952/53. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  61. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1953/54. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  62. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1954/55. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  63. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1955/56. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  64. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1958/59. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  65. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1961/62. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  66. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1963/64. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  67. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1969/70. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.
  68. Web site: Australian Women's Cricket Championships 1970/71. 21 January 2021. CricketArchive.

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