Cricketer whose patience and determination were a pillar of the
England women’s game in the 1940s and 50sWhen the cricketer Cecilia Robinson, who has died aged 97, made her Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in 1949, it was over a decade since England’s
Women had last played any match at all. Things did not go well for the visitors. Beset by the spin of Betty Wilson, who took 6 for 23, England were all out for 72, and only Robinson reached double figures. Her dogged 34 was compiled over three and a half hours, which was three hours longer than anyone else lasted at the crease. England lost the match, and ultimately the series – but they found an opening batter whose patience and determination would be a pillar of their game for the next 14 years.
Robinson’s predecessor as opener was Betty Snowball, who had established one of the most famous batting partnerships in the history of the women’s game with Myrtle Maclagan. When Snowball dropped down the order after the war, Robinson became Maclagan’s new foil, and at a time when women’s internationals were few and far between, her 829 Test runs, including two centuries, represented a significant haul; her close-fielding contributions, either at silly mid-on or slip, were equally invaluable.