As the ICC Women’s World Cup approaches its climax at Lord's, MCC has announced that 37 former women cricketers, whose careers spanned between 1954 and 2016, have accepted the Club’s offer of Honorary Life Membership.
The list of Honorary Life Members of MCC includes many of the world’s finest cricketers, as well as men and women who have been associated with the game as officials and administrators.
The women who have recently been elected are from England, Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland.
MCC President Matthew Fleming said: “Never before has MCC awarded so many Honorary Life Memberships at one time, and I am delighted that we are able to do so now in recognition of 37 exceptional cricketing careers.
“MCC’s relationship with women’s cricket has been brought sharply into focus with Lord’s hosting the ICC Women’s World Cup Final in the same year as the sad passing of one of the first female Honorary Life Members of the Club, Rachael Heyhoe Flint.
“Rachael made a colossal contribution to MCC and women’s cricket, and was instrumental in organising the first-ever cricket Women’s World Cup in 1973, which predates the men’s competition by two years.”
Lydia Greenway and Isa Guha are two of the more recent cricketers to have played for England.
“
It's an incredible privilege to be awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC
Greenway, who announced her retirement from the game in June last year after a 13-year career with England, was part of four Ashes-winning teams, and Guha recently became the first woman to be appointed to the board of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
She retired from international cricket in 2012, having played a part in England's victories in 2009 at the World Cup and the World T20, as well as in two Ashes-winning series.
Isa Guha said: “It's an incredible privilege to be awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC.
"Of course, it would not be possible without the late Baroness Heyhoe Flint, who campaigned for women to become Members of this prestigious club. I would like to thank her and the many others who have welcomed women into MCC.”
When the ICC Women’s World Cup Final is held at Lord’s on Sunday 23 July, England will be hoping to be recreate their famous victory of 1993, when the tournament was last held on English soil.
Karen Smithies, who captained England to that title, is also one of the newly-elected Honorary Life Members and Jan Brittin, an Honorary Life Member of MCC since 2000, was the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
New Zealand were the beaten finalists and three of their team – Catherine Campbell, Emily Drumm and Maia Lewis – are listed amongst the new Honorary Life Members.
The full list of the 37 newly-elected Honorary Life Members is as follows:
| Name | Country |
| Miss S. Agrawal | India |
| Mrs. D.A. Anderson (née Annetts) | Australia |
| Miss G. Banerjee | India |
| Mrs. D.L. Callcott (née Wilson) | Australia |
| Miss C.A. Campbell | New Zealand |
| Miss E.C Drumm | New Zealand |
| Miss D.F. Edulji | India |
| Miss C.L. Fitzpatrick | Australia |
| Miss Z.J. Goss | Australia |
| Miss M.E. Grealey | Ireland |
| Miss L.S. Greenway | England |
| Miss I.T. Guha | England |
| Miss S. Gupta | India |
| Miss L.M Keightley | Australia |
| Miss J. Kennare | Australia |
| Miss S. Kulkarni | india |
| Miss L.A. Larsen | Australia |
| Miss M.A.M. Lewis | New Zealand |
| Miss J. Lord | New Zealand |
| Mrs. C. Matthews (née White) | Australia |
| Miss G.E. McConway | England |
| Miss P.F. McKelvey | New Zealand |
| Ms L.K. Macleod | England |
| Miss J.C. Price | Australia |
| Miss S. Rangaswamy | India |
| Mrs. B.J. Robertson (née Haggett) | Australia |
| Miss R.J. Rolls | New Zealand |
| Miss K.L. Rolton | Australia |
| Miss J.M. Saulbrey | New Zealand |
| Mrs. E.A. Savory (née Sanders) | England |
| Miss S. Shah | India |
| Mrs. K. Smithies (née Hicken) | England |
| Miss A.M. Starling | England |
| Miss R.H. Thompson | Australia |
| Miss S.A. Tredrea | Australia |
| Mrs P. Verco (née Cook) | Australia |
| Miss A.L. Watkins | New Zealand |
