The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Saturday that Eileen Ash, the oldest-ever Test cricketer, has died at the age of 110.
Ash, a right-arm seam bowler, made her Test debut against Australia in 1937 and went on to represent England seven times before retiring in 1949.
During WWII, she worked for British intelligence and played golf until she was 98 years old.
Before England Women’s triumph in the 2017 World Cup final, Ash was picked to ring the bell at Lord’s.
“Our sport owes so lot to its pioneers, and Eileen was one of them,” ECB managing director of women’s cricket Clare Connor said. I’m heartbroken to have to say goodbye to her today.
“(England captain) Heather (Knight) and I went to visit Eileen about six months before the 2017 Women’s World Cup — she was 105 at the time — and it was one of the most remarkable experiences.
“Eileen taught Heather yoga, we played snooker, we drank cups of tea and we leafed through newspapers and scrapbooks celebrating Eileen’s time as a player in the 1930s and 1940s.
“She regaled us with some amazing stories, including how she came to have her bat signed by Sir Donald Bradman at a French restaurant in Sydney in 1949.”
