Jill Elizabeth Cruwys (5 December 1943 – 30 December 1990) was an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who played primarily as a batter. She appeared in 5 Test matches and 7 One Day Internationals for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

between 1969 and 1976. Cruwys was a member of the successful England team that beat

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is a suburb of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies immediately south-west of Birmingham city centre, and was historically in Warwickshire. The Ward (electoral subdivision), wards of Edgbaston and Nort ...

to win the first Women's World Cup in July 1973. She played domestic cricket primarily for

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and West Midlands, as well as appearing in one match for

West of England The West of England is an area of South West England around the River Avon. The area has a local government combined authority that consists of the unitary authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The comb ...

Career

Cruwys played for Kent between 1963 and 1968, appearing in ten matches. In 1968, she was selected to play in the England team touring Australia and New Zealand. In their first match in Australia, they beat Western Australia 228 for 5 declared, with Cruwys on 71 not out. Cruwys topped the England team's batting averages for all three games played in Australia with 70.5. She played in the England team against New Zealand in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, and also played in a one day match in

Nelson, New Zealand Nelson () is a List of cities in New Zealand, city and Districts of New Zealand, unitary authority on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-old ...

, where her third wicket stand of 51 with Sheila Plant (101) secured a win for England. She was also a member of the England women's team which toured the West Indies in 1971. In 1974, she joined the West Midlands women's team, where she and Rachael Heyhoe Flint formed "the main strength" of the side playing against Australia in Wolverhampton in 1976. At the time of her selection for the England women's team in 1976, she was described as "reputedly the finest fielder England women's cricket has produced." At a charity match in 1972 between a Lord's Taverners men's team and a women's team led by Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Cruwys "won frequent applause and took two catches in the deep, of which any man would have been proud," and in the 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup, "the fielding of both teams was a joy to watch and especially for England, Jill Cruwys' throwing in from the deep, which would put many county players to shame."

Personal life

Jill Cruwys was born in Bromley, Kent, the youngest child of Leslie Jackson Cruwys, a car sales executive, and Margaret Elizabeth, née Gosling. She started playing cricket aged four, using a tennis ball and chalked wicket. She attended Dartford College of Physical Education, graduating in 1965, and then worked as a physical education teacher at

West Wickham West Wickham is an area of South East Greater London, London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies south of Park Langley, Eden Park, London, Eden Park, Beckenham and Bromley town centre, west of Hayes, Bromley, Hayes and north o ...

, Kent and Droitwich High School, Worcestershire. She also played hockey for Kent from 1966-1969, and for Worcestershire from 1969-1970. Her hobbies were music, badminton and woodwork. She died of breast cancer in 1990, aged 47.

Awards

In 2020, she was awarded Kent Women Cap no. 13.

References

External links

* 1943 births 1990 deaths Cricketers from the London Borough of Bromley People from Bromley English women cricketers England women Test cricketers England women One Day International cricketers Kent women cricketers West Midlands women cricketers West women cricketers {{England-cricket-bio-1940s-stub