St Albans cricket heroine remembered (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

St Albans cricket heroine remembered

3:02pm Monday 8th March 2010 in News By Alex Lewis

THE life of pioneering woman cricketer Audrey Collins, who played for England and taught and lived in St Albans for many years, will be celebrated in a memorial service at St Stephen's Church.

Audrey, who died last month at the age of 94 in a care home in Shropshire, played in a test match against Australia at the Oval in 1937, batting at eight and scoring 27 in the first innings.

Born in India, Audrey Collins moved to St Albans in 1945, and taught chemistry for 35 years at St Albans Girls' School.

President of the Women's Cricket Association from 1983 to 1994, she received the OBE, and was one of the first female members admitted by the MCC in 1999.

Jane Slatter, who knew her through St Albans Soroptomists, a charitable and social group, said: " Audrey was a popular character and an active citizen of St Albans.

"She was often a contributor to the letters page of the Review. The last one I saw was about schools being closed because of snow. In her days she got on her bicycle and went to school whatever the weather.

"She played cricket and hockey for local clubs well into her later years. 

"Audrey joined the Soroptimists in 1972 and was president in 1978.

"On her 90th birthday she was was thrilled to be presented with a cricket bat signed by the England women’s team.

"Audrey was always telling us how lucky she was to have had such a wonderful life and we can only say how lucky we were to know her.

"She was a trailblazer for women's cricket and an inpiration to all who knew her."

Audrey, who died in February, moved to Shropshire in 2007 to be near her nephew and niece.

Her memorial service will be at 2pm on Friday, May 21, at St Stephen's Church, Watling Street.