OTD 1907 | The first woman to captain England in Test, Betty Archdale, was born

Helen Elizabeth “Betty” Archdale, from Kent and England, led the first women’s team to tour Australia and New Zealand in 1934/35. She was born in London on August 21, 1907, and hailed from a campaigning family. When it came to choosing a captain for the England Women’s team’s maiden Test series against Australia in 1934/35, the lively and social Betty Archdale was the clear choice.

Betty also toured Australia in 1934-35 as captain of the first English women’s cricket team to go international. The squad selectors viewed her as the ideal captain and the Australian press complimented her as a fair and professional player in the aftermath of the infamous ‘Bodyline’ series.

After that, England reached 503 for 5 declared, with Marjorie Richards recording her highest Test score of 48 not out. NZ was then dismissed for 122 in their second innings, meaning that England had won by an innings and 337 runs under Betty Archdale. One of Australia’s 100 Living Treasures in 1997, she became one of the first ten female honorary members of MCC in 1999. Following their triumphant two-month tour of Australia, the squad embarked on a three-week stay in New Zealand, where they played a lopsided Test match against the Kiwis at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. 

When New Zealand batted first, they went from being 16 for 7 at one point to 44 all out. After that, England reached 503 for 5 declared, with Marjorie Richards recording her highest Test score of 48 not out. NZ was then dismissed for 122 in their second innings, meaning that England had won by an innings and 337 runs under Betty Archdale. He played matches for England in women’s Test cricket. In matches, she scored 133 runs. On January 11, 2000, Helen Elizabeth Archdale, MBE, passed away at the age of 92.

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