Jill Cruwys

Jill Elizabeth Cruwys (5 December 1943 – 30 December 1990) was an English cricketer who played primarily as a batter. She appeared in 5 Test matches and 7 One Day Internationals for England between 1969 and 1976. Cruwys was a member of the successful England team that beat Australia at Edgbaston to win the first Women's World Cup in July 1973.^[1][2] She played domestic cricket primarily for Kent^[2] and West Midlands, as well as appearing in one match for West of England.^[3][4]

Jill Cruwys

Personal information
Full name	Jill Elizabeth Cruwys
Born	(1943-12-05)5 December 1943 Bromley, Kent, England
Died	30 December 1990(1990-12-30) (aged 47) Droitwich, Worcestershire, England
Role	Batter
International information
National side	England (1969–1976)
Test debut (cap 76)	15 February 1969 v New Zealand
Last Test	3 July 1976 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 3)	23 June 1973 v International XI
Last ODI	8 August 1976 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1963–1968	Kent
1974–1976	West Midlands
1976	West
Career statistics
Competition WTest WODI WFC WLA Matches 5 7 19 11 Runs scored 61 34 596 52 Batting average 10.16 34.00 33.11 13.00 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 1/3 0/0 Top score 40 34* 101 18* Balls bowled 0 6 346 6 Wickets – 0 2 0 Bowling average – – 91.00 – 5 wickets in innings – – 0 – 10 wickets in match – – 0 – Best bowling – – 1/12 – Catches/stumpings 2/– 0/– 6/– 2/–
Source: CricketArchive, 28 February 2021

Career

Cruwys played for Kent between 1963 and 1968, appearing in ten matches.^[2] In 1968, she was selected to play in the England team touring Australia and New Zealand. In their first match in Australia, they beat Western Australia 228 for 5 declared, with Cruwys on 71 not out.^[5] Cruwys topped the England team's batting averages for all three games played in Australia with 70.5.^[6] She played in the England team against New Zealand in Wellington,^[2] and also played in a one day match in Nelson, New Zealand, where her third wicket stand of 51 with Sheila Plant (101) secured a win for England.^[7] She was also a member of the England women's team which toured the West Indies in 1971.^[8]

In 1974, she joined the West Midlands women's team,^[9] where she and Rachael Heyhoe Flint formed "the main strength" of the side playing against Australia in Wolverhampton in 1976.^[10] At the time of her selection for the England women's team in 1976, she was described as "reputedly the finest fielder England women's cricket has produced."^[11] At a charity match in 1972 between a Lord's Taverners men's team and a women's team led by Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Cruwys "won frequent applause and took two catches in the deep, of which any man would have been proud,"^[12] and in the 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup, "the fielding of both teams was a joy to watch and especially for England, Jill Cruwys' throwing in from the deep, which would put many county players to shame."^[1]

Personal life

Jill Cruwys was born in Bromley, Kent,^[2] the youngest child of Leslie Jackson Cruwys, a car sales executive,^[8] and Margaret Elizabeth, née Gosling.^[13] She started playing cricket aged four, using a tennis ball and chalked wicket.^[8] She attended Dartford College of Physical Education, graduating in 1965,^[14] and then worked as a physical education teacher at West Wickham, Kent and Droitwich High School, Worcestershire.^{[8][11][15][16]} She also played hockey for Kent from 1966-1969, and for Worcestershire from 1969-1970.^[15][17] Her hobbies were music, badminton and woodwork.^[15][18] She died of breast cancer in 1990, aged 47.^[13]

Awards

In 2020, she was awarded Kent Women Cap no. 13.^[2]