The English women's cricket team toured Australia and New Zealand in 1934 and 1935. It was on this tour that the first women's Test matches were played: three against Australia, followed by one against New Zealand. England won the first two Tests against the Australians convincingly, and had the better of a drawn third Test, to clinch the Ashes. The game against New Zealand was even more one-sided in England's favour.
The idea for the tour was conceived by Australian captain Margaret Peden, who contacted future England captain Betty Snowball via her sister Barbara Peden, who was working in England as an architect. The Peden sisters and Snowball were all Christian Science adherents and their mothers had previously corresponded.[1]
The tour itself was recorded for posterity in a series of photographs that are now in the National Library of Australia.[2] These photographs show the cricketers playing the game on a long tour, which took in many matches apart from the international series. However, there are others showing the players relaxing on their vessel, the SS Rotorua, and on trips, such as to Melbourne Zoo or up New Zealand glaciers.
The Test matches were dominated by Myrtle Maclagan, who made 279 runs and took 26 wickets. So dominant was her performance that just after the men's team had lost the men's version of the Ashes, 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[3]
However, she was outscored by Betty Snowball, who made 381 runs, including a mammoth 189 against the Kiwis.
| Australia | 47 | & | 138 | England won by 9 wickets[4] |
| KM Smith 25 ME Maclagan 7/10 | EM Shevill 63 MF Spear 5/15 | Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Australia Umpires: FJ Bartlett (Aus) and JA Scott (Aus) | ||
| England | 154 | & | 34-1 | |
| ME Maclagan 72 A Palmer 7/18 | EA Snowball 18 P Antonio 1/20 |
Australian captain, Margaret Peden, won the toss and chose to bat. Australia, however, soon came up against England allrounder, Myrtle Maclagan, whose 7 wickets for the cost of only 10 runs saw Australia collapse to 47 all out. During that first innings, Australian wicket-keeper, Hilda Hills retired hurt on 2, with a broken nose. Hills then played no further part in the match, with Hazel Pritchard going behind the stumps in her place.
Maclagan opened the batting for England, and made 72 before she was the fifth woman out with England on 116, just before close on the first day. On day two, England moved on to 154, with Betty Archdale making 32 not out. In their second innings, Australia fared better, and were 99 for 5 at close on the second day. Maclagan failed to take a wicket in her 28 overs, but it was Mary Spear's five wickets that did the damage, as the home team were all of for 138, a total which included 63 runs scored over more than four hours from Essie Shevill. England were thus set just 32 for the win, which they secured with the loss of just one wicket.
In the match, Australia fielded sisters, Essie Shevill and Fernie Blade, Fernie was dropped after one test, her twin sister Rene Shevill played in the 2nd and 3rd tests.
| Australia | 162 | & | 148 | England won by 8 wickets[5] |
| KM Smith 47 ME Maclagan 4/33 | EM Shevill 36 JE Partridge 6/96 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia Umpires: Puffet (Aus) and Simpkins (Aus) | ||
| England | 301-5 dec | & | 10-2 | |
| ME Maclagan 119 KM Smith 3/42 | EA Snowball 4 EA Shevill 1/2 |
England captain, Betty Archdale, declared on the overnight score. On the fourth day, Joy Partridge took 6 for 96 as the Aussies stumbled to 148 all out. England easily made the 10 required for victory, though not before two wickets had been lost. As Rene Shevill took over as the Australian wicket-keeper from the injured Hill, Essie Shevill yet again played with one of her sisters. However, Rene's twin, Fernie Blade, did not play.
| England | 162 | & | 153-7 dec | Match drawn[6] |
| ME Maclagan 50 P Antonio 6/49 | EA Snowball 83 A Palmer 3/17 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia Umpires: HE Nichols (Aus) and WR Wettenhall (Aus) | ||
| Australia | 150 | & | 104-8 | |
| A Palmer 39 MF Spear 3/21 | JP Brewer 31 ME Maclagan 4/28 |
| New Zealand | 44 | & | 122 | England won by an innings and 337 runs[7] |
| M Hollis 24 ME Maclagan 5/22 | MC Bishop 27 JE Partridge 4/60 | Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand Umpires: R Coleman and J McGuinness | ||
| England | 503-5 dec | |||
| EA Snowball 189 RE Symons 2/71 |
New Zealand batted better in their second innings, but an England victory was never in doubt as Joy Partridge took 4 wickets to end England's Test match tour on a comprehensive high.