If you have got the indoor cricket nets set up to practice while rain stops play, give a thought to the Women’s Ashes.
Rain stopped play for the final one-day international of the series between England and Australia – every professional cricket player’s nightmare when they’re stuck in a game and want to see it through to the end.
The series has a long history, though it did not become official until 1998. The first Women’s Ashes is thought to have taken place in 1934-35, though then Captain Betty Archdale said women wanted to play for the love of the game and did not want to be associated with the competitions held by male cricketers, so it did not become official until much later.
A highly educated woman, Betty Archdale took up cricket while at Bedales School in England, though she eventually moved to Australia where she became a celebrated education reformer in her role as headmistress at a leading girl’s private school.
An ashes trophy was first produced from a burnt, signed cricket bat in 1998, though a new trophy was produced in 2013. So far, 19 series have taken place.
The length of series has varied between one and five Tests and has taken place once every two years since 2001, and has been restricted to one or two Tests since then. England won in 2005 for the first time and then again in February 2007 and July 2009.
England won the Ashes opening game this year, in July.
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