Then, in 1971 over a brandy and a long evening chatting the night away, the duo came up with the idea of a World Cup. Luckily, the letter was passed across to his sports-loving son Jack, who felt compelled by her words and presented Heyhoe Flint with £1,700 to fund the first of two tours to the West Indies.

When Heyhoe Flint was searching for sponsorship for an unofficial tour of Jamaica, she sent a 'begging letter' to Wolverhampton-born millionaire Charles Hayward. A life-changing friendship Former Wolverhampton Wanderers owner Sir Jack Hayward and Rachel Heyhoe Flint were the driving forces behind the first Women's World Cup She's gone down in history for what she's done for women's cricket.'Īfter all, the World Cup was her idea.

'You can't say women's cricket and not say Rachael Heyhoe Flint,' says Browne. Meanwhile, England's legendary captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint - later Baroness Heyhoe Flint - not only carried the pressure of organising the team, but had the weight of the tournament on her shoulders. 'I was lucky I got a job and the headteacher was very supportive.' 'I was PE teaching at the time,' said England player Chris Watmough.

The other was having an understanding employer. 'However, in the end, I ran out of the potatoes and had to go and buy them from the grocery store anyway.'įundraising was one side of the coin. 'I had potatoes out of the ground, and I used to put a decorating table at the top of the drive and stood there selling potatoes which were cheaper than the grocery store opposite. 'We did all sorts of things,' adds England's Enid Bakewell. 'We set up barbeques and curry-ques - we had to raise money for all of our cricket.' 'There was no-one giving us things,' said Trinidad and Tobago captain Louise Browne. To fund their cricket in the amateur era, players had to get creative. Personal sacrifice is the tale of all who made the event happen. That's a drive of more than five hours after 120 overs in the field. I remember playing in Bradford and then the next day they wanted me to play for Sussex in Eastbourne against Trinidad and Tobago.' The player was fine but it is a tale that highlights the taxing nature of the tournament. 'One of the players in the tournament was so tired she actually fell asleep at the wheel and only woke up when she hit the crash barrier.' 'It was a lot of commitment and of course, we had to return to jobs,' remembers England's World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Shirley Hodges. Today's generation is forever indebted to the women who paved the way, including those who competed in the first ever World Cup in 1973 - which was played two years before the inaugural men's version.

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