Bowling Maidens Over: 1931 and the Beginnings of Women's Cricket in a Yorkshire Town

This article focuses on the development of women's cricket in a West Yorkshire town – Brighouse – in the 1930s. It situates this subject within the context of the growth of women's cricket more generally, and goes on to explore the personality and uniqueness of women's cricket in the town. The article identifies key issues in the way that women's cricket was perceived at the time, particularly in the pages of the Brighouse & Elland Echo, the local newspaper. As such, it considers the novelty of the sport, the gender stereotyping that was an important aspect of newspaper coverage, the relationship between women's and men's cricket, and also the marketing of key fixtures.