Netta Rheinberg (24 October 1911 – 18 June 2006) 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, journalist and administrator. She appeared in one Test match 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 ...

in 1949, against

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 ...

. She played domestic cricket for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Early life and education

Rheinberg was born in Brondesbury in London. Her father was a businessman and inventor, Julius Rheinberg. Netta attended

South Hampstead High School South Hampstead High School is a private day school in Hampstead, north-west London, England, which was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST). It is for girls aged 4–18 with selective entry at ages 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+ (Sixth Form). ...

, studied languages abroad, and then went to secretarial college.

Career

Rheinberg started her career as temporary secretary at

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

, moved to a hearing aid company, and from there to her parents' textile business.

Cricket

Rheinberg's single Test match came on England's tour of Australia in 1948/49. She was the team's manager, and had to play in the match because of injuries to other players. She made a "pair", becoming the first woman to do so on Test debut. She was the manager of the 1957-58 tour of Australia and New Zealand, and commented that each woman on the team had to raise £400 for their costs. "Some sawed and sold logs, others packed chocolates and sold jam jars." Rheinberg was most notable in the women's game as an administrator and journalist. Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, the former England captain, said of her work as an administrator, "Netta was an action girl. We had very few people then, and she galvanised activity, partly just by having a great personality and a sense of humour." "For a north London Jew, playing cricket for England and being one of the game’s most important administrators is about as well-trodden a career path as prime minister or bacon-buttie salesman," wrote Rob Steen shortly after her death aged 94 in 2006. "That Rheinberg happened to be a woman made her accomplishments all the more admirable." She was secretary of the

Women's Cricket Association The Women's Cricket Association (WCA) was responsible for the running of women's cricket in England between 1926 and 1998. It was founded by a group of enthusiasts following a cricket holiday in Malvern. Forty-nine games were arranged in that fir ...

in 1945 and from 1948 to 1958. She was also membership secretary and vice-chairman of the Cricket Society. She edited the magazine ''Women's Cricket'', reported on women's cricket for ''Wisden'' for more than thirty years, and wrote a regular column for ''

The Cricketer ''The Cricketer'' is a monthly English cricket magazine providing writing and photography from international, county, club and schools cricket. Overview The magazine was founded in 1921 by Sir Pelham Warner, an ex-England captain turned cric ...

''. With Heyhoe-Flint as co-author, Rheinberg wrote a history of the women's game, ''Fair Play - the story of women's cricket'',

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

, 1976. In 1999 she was one of the first ten women to be awarded honorary membership of MCC.MCC delivers first 10 maidens
(

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, 16 March 1999)

References

External links

* English women cricketers England women Test cricketers Cricket writers English cricket administrators English cricket umpires Members of the Order of the British Empire 1911 births 2006 deaths People educated at South Hampstead High School 20th-century English Jews Jewish cricketers Middlesex women cricketers English sportswriters British women sportswriters Jewish English sportspeople {{England-cricket-bio-1910s-stub