‘Plant pots in the urinals’: Lord’s pioneers reunite and reflect 50 years after first women’s game

Rachael Heyhoe Flint leads England on to the pitch on 4 August 1976 in the first women’s game at Lord’s, an ODI against Australia. Photograph: Dennis Oulds/Getty Images

In a room in central London, about three miles from Lord’s, a group of 10 women will gather on Thursday for a very special reunion. Fifty years ago, on 4 August 1976, they were among the first female cricketers to play a match at the so-called Home of Cricket: a one-day international between England and Australia.

England strolled to an eight‑wicket win, chasing down 162 thanks to half-centuries from Enid Bakewell, opening with Lynne Thomas, and Chris Watmough, coming in at No 3. But the importance of the occasion was less about the details of the match than what it represented. After almost five decades of the Women’s Cricket Association knocking on the MCC’s door, the success of the first World Cup three years earlier finally persuaded the club that it was time to host a women’s match.