How England won the 1973 Women’s World Cup

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Hello, this is Alison Mitchell with a special episode of the TMS podcast. We'll be looking back at the first ever Women's ODI World cup which took place in 1973. We'll hear an archive interview with the captain of the winning England team, the late Rachel Hayhoe Flint, who made that first World cup happen. And we'll speak to cricket writer and historian Raf Nicholson.

You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 live.

Former England captain Rachel hey Ho Flint died in January 2017 as Lady Hey Ho Flint. She was 77 and was a pioneer trailblazer and driving force behind women's cricket in England. Long before she became an OBE and then a Conservative peer. She was responsible for first ever Women's World Cup. I went to meet her back in 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary and she was at the House of Lords. She invited me to Westminster to do the interview and so we met in a dimly lit half paneled room with a plush red carpet and she told me the story.

Well, I always actually blame it on a bottle of brandy because the best.

Things often aren't they.

Well, that's right. I don't know if that was the right decision or not, but in 1970 I'd written to Jack Haywood who was Wolverhampton born Bahamas based businessman who was known to help eccentric projects and things that were good to do with Great Britain and England, United Kingdom and he's known as Union Jack and He brought SS Great Britain back from the Falkland Islands to Bristol, turned it into a maritime museum. He was born in Wolverhampton. So I just dropped him a note and I said, it was in the days before, you know, quick communication. I had to write a letter, physically. Bahamas based. That's where his successful businesses are. Would he like to sponsor the England women's cricket team on a tour to the West Indies? This was in 1971, and damn me, I couldn't believe it. He actually rang me about three weeks later and said, I've got your letter here. You know, I'll sponsor the England women's cricket team. And I thought, this is crazy, because ever since I'd been captain, which happened in 1966, I just resented the fact that there was so little profile, as we would call it nowadays, of women playing cricket and international women's team playing. And so I thought, well, the only way to do this is to get sponsorship. But it's a sort of a vicious circle. If you're not known in the media, sponsors aren't interested, and then, well, how do you get interested? Because you. You can't have series of cricket matches without the money, because we are very amateur organization. So for Sir Jack, he was only plain Jack when I first wrote to him. So look what did for him, for him to sponsor those two tours. We then became great friends. Had a match down in. Was it Hove or Hastings? Down in Sussex. And I was staying with his family in Sussex. After supper, Jack and I sort of thought we'd try a little bit brandy. And there we were, working our way through this wonderful bottle of Hein brandy. And he eventually said, you know what we ought to do? We ought to have a World cup of women's cricket. Have another drink. And I thought, yes, that's a great idea, but who's going to pay for it? He said, I'll sponsor. And that really was the seed of an idea. And I said, well, you'll have to get official sanction next day, the last day of our match down in. I can't remember if it was. I think it was Hastings. Wonderful memory. Forty years ago, Jack went to speak to Sylvia Swinburne, chairman of the Women's Cricket association, said, I've got this idea. Let's go for it. It'll put women's cricket on the map. So 1973, lo and behold, it took place and it happened.

So it took a fair amount of planning, but it was eventually held in England and describe the teams which took part, because it drew quite heavily on the West Indies still, didn't it?

Yes. In those days we'd created a lot of interest in the West Indies through our tours, which Jack had sponsored. But it wasn't a West Indies team, they hadn't got together as many islands and representing the whole of the West Indies. So Trinidad and Tobago was the one team, Jamaica was the other team. And then we had Australia, New Zealand. And then to make up the numbers, we had a young England 11 and then an international 11 which was a composite of representatives from all the other teams that were taking part. And it was done as a round robin tournament and that was the only problem, or it could have been a problem, but it did actually happen that the last match of the round robin series was England against Australia at Edgbaston. And whoever won it would win the first World Cup. And afterwards you think, well, thank God, you know, thank goodness that it was the two who were in to win it, who came to that. Otherwise it would have been a rather bore, a draw, wouldn't it, to have two teams that had no part in the ultimate destination of the World Cup.

So that felt pretty much like the final, I suppose it gets referred to as the World cup final, doesn't it? And was attended by Princess Anne, no less.

Yes, it happened to coincide with the day that she was doing good deeds in Birmingham. And we were thrilled that she came along because I'd met her on one or two to other sporting occasions like the Daily Express Sportsman Sportswomen of the Year awards. And that was when she was very high profile in three day eventing. And so to be able to have her there royal presence again, it gave more credence to the event. There was a reasonable crowd, I would think. Probably about 4,000 turned up, mainly our relatives. And the trophy was a very handsome. Jackson said, oh well, I'll pay for the trophy. And instead of having one of these conglomerate things, you know, made from a trophy manufacturer, he took me to the silver vaults up in the City of London and we chose a Georgian silver chalice that was beautifully, beautifully designed, but I think it was actually something that people sold things onto, the silver vaults there. And I think it was for an allotment competition or something like that. Secondhand trophy, secondhand trophy or. But very high quality silver, I hasten to add. So of course that's all flooded out and I don't actually know where it is now. There's a bit of research for you to find out.

I was going to ask if you knew where it was.

I have a feeling that it Was in. It was placed in Lords in the museum. But I honestly, it's very naughty of me. I should have kept an eye on it for Sir Jack, shouldn't I, really?

So that. That trophy presumably carried right the way through until just the last, to the 2009 World cup, because that was the first that was under the auspices of the icc. Would that be right?

Yes, yes, that's right, yes. If we could find it. I think it ought to be used as a subsidiary trophy on the final.

Day, this time presented to the winners as well as the main.

Yes, or the. It could be like the Jonas, you know, magic moment of the whole series, couldn't it? That would please Sir Jack, actually, because he's got such a great sense of humour and in fact, many people used to question him, you know, why do you sponsor women's cricket? And he said, well, I love women and I love cricket and, you know, I've got the best of both worlds there. And, in fact, I think Private Eye referred to Sir Jack Hayward as that eccentric British millionaire who has saved such ancient British relics as SS Great Britain, Lundy island and Rachel Hayhoe Flint and the England women's cricket team. So he's got a place in history in Private Eye as well.

Do you remember what media coverage you got during that World cup back then?

I think leading up to the final match, it was just minimal. And it was at the stage where what we put into it we would get out of it as far as media coverage was concerned. And I was very conscious of the fact, because I just about moved into journalism in those days and I knew how one should create that interest. And all the nationals covered us, the serious nationals, anyway, and there were some very glowing comments in, you know, in the heavies as much as anything else. We did get some television coverage which was put out as highlights the next weekend, I think, on Grandstand or something like that. But not. Not the sort of coverage that happens nowadays, because the Women's Cricket association in those days was one paid official in a tiny office which we leased or probably had it donated to us from the Sports Council in Brompton Road. So one paid official but enormous number of volunteers in all the counties that played. And it was, you know, a remarkable achievement to get it off the ground. We had the opening ceremony actually, on Jack's birthday on June 14 at Chiswick on the civil service ground, so that all the teams could play on the various pitches. And it was opened by the then chairman of the Sports Council, Roger Bannister, no less.

Well, that was the late Rachel Hayhoe Flint telling me how the 1973 Cricket World cup first came into being. Well, let's bring in RAF Nicholson, cricket writer and historian raf. It's just wonderful to hear Rachel's voice, isn't it? And her humor really comes across there. But what vision to stage a, a World cup before even the men had staged a World Cup?

Yeah, absolutely, you're right. It's lovely to hear her kind of reflections on it 40 years after the fact. And, and it was quite a revolutionary thing to do actually. You know, there hadn't been a Men's World cup and I think we have to remember as well that kind of limited overs or one day international cricket was still really new. So the first Men's One Day International had been played in 1971 and these world cup matches were actually the first ever one day internationals. For the women, mostly women's cricket was kind of declaration cricket or multi day cricket. And so actually the idea of having a World cup and having it as a kind of limited overs competition as well, both kind of really radical ideas. But that was Rachel Hego Flint. Right. She was a radical person and she was revolutionary.

So fill in a little bit more of the picture of the World Cup. We know then what got billed as the final, but of course it was the climax of the round robin was played at Edgbaston. What other grounds staged matches back then?

Yeah, it's a great question and I think that the answer reflects the sort of status with which women's cricket was then held. There were mainly kind of club grounds involved. So you're looking at places like Dean park in Bournemouth, Tring Park Cricket Club in Hertfordshire, Ealing Cricket Club in London. Kew Green was mentioned. There were a couple of first class grounds that were used as well. So Hove. I think partly because there were strong kind of Sussex connections and also Edgbaston for the final, but not Lords, notably because the MCC refused permission.

Yes, that would come much later. What about Rachel mentioned media coverage, some national newspapers picking it up and some TV highlights are appearing later on. But what about people actually watching in the grounds? Did many people have awareness that it was happening? Were there many there to watch?

I don't think they had huge crowds and I think that's partly a reflection of the grounds that were actually being used. But there was definitely a kind of big push for publicity. So you would have got. At that stage, women's cricket just wasn't really getting big crowds. So I think the WCA were quite pleased. Sorry The Women's Cricket association were quite pleased with the publicity that they got and certainly kind of of Rachel Hayhoe Flint, who was sort of appointed official tournament press officer, was really doing this great job of sort of pushing it out and getting some of the newspaper correspondence to turn up to matches. So they were certainly getting more coverage than they would have otherwise had. And it did make a big splash with it being this kind of quite unique new event. So it was the sort of a little bit of that kind of newness factor, I think. But in terms of crowds, I mean, obviously the biggest one was at the far final. We're talking about a few thousand people, which for women's cricket then was really exciting and impressive.

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And paint the picture. Also, then what the uniforms were back then, what women cricketers were wearing to play and because. Because it's very, very different to what they play in in 2025.

Yeah, absolutely. So they were still in what was called the culottes or the divided skirt. So the idea was to kind of try and appear feminine, I suppose they were. They were kind of. There were stringent Women's Cricket association rules about how long they could be. So they were meant to be kind of knee length and. Yeah, so all in white as well, of course, because we don't see coloured clothing in one day international cricket until much later. So, yeah, quite traditional uniforms and of course the long socks as well. There would have been a lot less diving in the field, but if you did dive, then you had your stockings to protect you.

Thank goodness for the stockings. What about where players might have been put up Then, you know, there was a team from Australia and New Zealand, the team from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Any idea where these players would have stayed during that time?

Well, it was a real kind of national effort across England, with each sort of area being responsible for one of these teams. And so it would have been a bit of a mix, but often they would have been actually billeted with kind of locals who were involved in women's cricket, whether that be players, whether that be organisers, whether that be families of players. So, yeah, it would have been a kind of real mix, mix of accommodation. But actually, if you look at the social calendar as well, this is really interesting because you think, well, it's quite expensive to get teams over to England and have them here for a few weeks, so the focus will all be on the cricket. But no, it's this sort of real other era, sort of amateur era, whereby the social side is almost as important as the cricket. So they have to kind of organize. The WCA had to organise a sort of full social calendar for all of these teams. So you read things like Australia going to Longleat Safari park and bumping into what they were called an inquisitive rhino. A couple of days before one of their matches, players sort of going around biscuit factories and getting free biscuits and free Christmas pudding. That was one of the teams, I think that was New Zealand. And then there was actually the sort of big highlight socially, was the Champagne reception at 10 Downing street for all of the teams. So Ted Heath was the Prime Minister then, and Rachel actually presented him with a cricket bat and made a joke about the fact that because he wasn't really known for being a cricketer, but he was known for being a keen sailor. So she said, oh, you can use it as a paddle instead of. Instead of for cricket. But, yeah, so lots of kind of social events as well as the cricket.

Did that reception take place at the end of the tournament or was that in and amongst the matches?

I think that was actually at the start, before any of the matches got underway.

And of course, we're talking about the amateur era, so all of these players very much having other jobs and having to take time off work, something which obviously continued for many years afterwards. But this being the very first World Cup. Give us a sense of maybe what some of those players were doing when they weren't representing their country at this new World Cup.

Yeah, sure. Interestingly, in the England team, you had a couple of women who kind of labeled themselves as housewives, one of which was Enid Bakewell who we'll probably talk a bit about later, had a very successful tournament but then you think about you're then also having to juggle childcare for the duration of the tournament. Australia's Rayleigh Thompson, she was working as a fingerprint specialist in the Victoria Police. New Zealand squad included Jocelyn Burley who was a professional swimming coach and one of the Trinidadians, Donna Carmino, who eventually ended up playing for the international 11. She was only 16 years old so she was having to miss school in order to participate. So yeah, you've got lots of kind of these different aspects going into the actual for the players having to make room for this tournament in their lives.

Waves sounds like a fabulous tour to be on in terms of all those social events that were happening as well. And of course the idea of this international 11 being a composite of the other countries that are taking part because there just weren't enough if you like competitors, countries who could come and partake at that time.

Yeah there's a, there's a bit of a serious side to that as well which is that actually the International 11 was initially conceived of as a way of enabling South Africa to participate kind of in a, in a, a non controversial way because obviously this was an era where apartheid was kind of in full swing and unfortunately South Africa kind of being isolated from international cricket. The WCA decided that one way to enable some South Africans to participate in the tournament was to have an international 11 and have five South Africans within that. But, but quite understandably Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, the governments found out about this, were unhappy and threatened to withdraw their teams from the competition. And so the idea of having any South Africans participate had to be abandoned and then it became this composite of all of the other participating teams. So that's the sort of story behind the international 11. But actually eventually it ended up being a really interesting team know, kind of one that actually involved lots of people coming together who maybe wouldn't have otherwise encountered each other and, and who you know by, by all accounts came together really well and, and were, were relatively successful in the context of the tournament.

Well let's talk about the tournament itself then. Give us a flavour of some of the key performers across the course of the event.

Well, I've just mentioned Enid Bakewell who listeners may well have come across. She's still a sort of key personality within women's cricket isn't she? But she was the leading run scorer. So one of England's first fixtures was at Hove against the international eleven and she scored a century there, as did her opening partner for England, Lynne Thomas, that she put on this huge kind of record breaking partnership for the first wicket at Hove. So yeah, she was certainly a key performance and then went on and hit another century in the final and then kind of other sort of key performers. Well, Rachel herself, of course she had a half century performance in, in the final. There are a couple of kind of interesting performers with the ball as well. So Glennis Page for New Zealand took 6 for 20 against Trinidad and Tobago and Tina McPherson for Australia took 5 for 14. And you're looking at kind of some these performances actually that then you know, these are records that are set and endure for many, many years at World Cups. So yeah, some, some really interesting performances.

And the format of course was not the 50 overs that we're accustomed to today.

No. Because one day international cricket was then 60 overs. So the WCA decided that the simplest thing to do was to adopt that. So yes, it's interesting to think about that as, as being a bit longer than, than we're used to nowadays days.

Indeed.

So England duly topped the group with 20 points from their six matches. They had five wins and one defeat. And the Aussies, runners up 17 points with four wins. Rachel. Hey ho Flint. We heard her talking about the, the trophy, the Sir Jack Haywood Trophy. What has happened to that over the course of the year? Because we talked about it being presented up until 2009 when the ICC had taken over the running of the game formally and a shiny brand new trophy was inaugurated then. So what did happen to the trophy?

The trophy is now on display in the MCC Museum at Lourdes, which I think is. You know, you could argue that it would be more appropriate for it to be at Edgforston. But there was a lovely exhibition at Lourdes a few years ago on the history of women's cricket and that that original kind of chalice trophy had pride of place in that exhibition. And it is nice for it to be at the home of cricket, I think.

What then of the legacy overall of this first ever World cup back in 1973?

Yeah, I mean I think a couple of things. So we heard Rachel there really nicely talking about the coverage that it got. If you read the WCA's official report on the tournament, they say the doubting Thomases can be forgotten. The ability and prowess of the international players who took part and the respect of all who saw them in action. And so I think that there was an increase in awareness and an increase in respect for what women cricketers were doing and what they were achieving, I think that was really important. Certainly the view of the MCC changed after this tournament. I think that they were a little bit embarrassed by the fact that it was so big and so popular and that they were criticised in the media for not hosting the final. So immediately afterwards, you get the MCC president writing to the WCA and saying, you've done enough, enough to deserve a game at cricket's headquarters. So, three Years later, in 1976, they did get their. The first ever Women's International at Lords. So that was quite important. And then finally, I suppose, just the fact that we still have a Women's World cup now and that it became a kind of centerpiece of the calendar. You know, this was a big gamble. We didn't know. They didn't know how it was going to turn out. They didn't know if it was going to be a success. There had never been a Cricket World Cup. But lo and behold, the men followed them two years later. And as I say, that the Women's Cricket World cup became this huge centerpiece of the calendar and it shows that they were right to take this gamble. And it's really wonderful to now kind of be able to look back and go, yeah, it was a huge success.

And of course, women have led the way in a number of aspects in the development of cricket, haven't they, this World cup just being won. But there are several instances where women have, in fact, been the first. First to take the leap to do something.

Yeah, definitely. Well, I mean, I guess another one would. You know, we had the first T20 international in 2004. That's one that. That comes to mind.

But even bowling overarm all the way back.

Absolutely. To do with those skirts again. So the. Yeah, the. What women wore to play cricket is often significant, I suppose that's a great early example of that.

And do you think the World cup is Rachel Hayhoe Flint's greatest legacy? I mean, she did many things, didn't she? She was involved in Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club there. She was a board member on the ecb. Mention her being a peer in the. In the House of Lords as well. Big drive for female membership of the mcc, even.

Yeah, I think it probably is her biggest legacy, because I think that the World cup itself was such a big moment for women's cricket, having that event and that coverage and that kind of respect that they wouldn't have otherwise got. I think that it's the fact that it's kind of endured to this day as being a really important moment in the women's cricket calendar. I think it was her kind of initial hard work actually writing to Jack Hayward, because there had been a suggestion of potentially having a world tournament a few years before this. I think it was actually Australia who said, perhaps we should have a go at doing this. And. And the WCA said, well, no, because we just can't afford it. And actually it was Rachel writing to all of these people. But obviously Jack Hayward was one of the people who responded and getting his support and then almost kind of charming him and getting him on board to make a significant financial investment allowing this event to happen. And that was what she was so good at. It was her kind of force of personality that enabled this event to happen and enabled women's cricket to grow in terms of profile. So I think it is really important that we recognise that this was a big team effort by the Women's Cricket association, who were having to kind of do all of this planning. And it took, you know, two or three years to plan it and to actually kind of put all the arrangements in place and, you know, do all of the admin and book all of those flights and, you know, all of those just things that we don't really think about now because they just get done for professional women cricketers. But it was the WCA having to do all this and there were other really significant figures, so Sylvia Swinburne as kind of overall kind of head of the wca, and so it was a team effort, but I think it was Rachel Hayhoe Flint's kind of, as I say, sort of force of personality that enabled it to get off the ground as an idea.

A legacy of World Cups built on the shoulders of. Of a fabulous idea, but the hard work of so many volunteers to make it happen and ensure then that it continued as well. Raf Nicholson, cricket writer and historian, thank you for being with us on the TMS podcast. Well, that's it for this episode of the TMS podcast. Make sure you subscribe so you get a notification every time we upload. Also, check out the rest of the Women's World cup podcasts we've done, as they're available on the TMS feed right now, as is the latest episode episode of no Balls with Kate Cross and Alex Hartley. And while you're on BBC Sounds, search for BBC Stumps while you're there. Thanks for listening. Speak to you next time.

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