London
England women’s cricket great Rachael Heyhoe Flint is to have a gate at Lord’s, the home of cricket, named after her it was announced Wednesday.
A statement from ground owners Marylebone Cricket Club, coincided with the 45th anniversary of the first women’s One-Day International to be held at Lord’s, in which Heyhoe Flint led out England Women on to the main ground at the northwest London venue for the first time, to face Australia Women on August 4, 1976.
Heyhoe Flint was the driving force behind the inaugural women’s World Cup in 1973, leading England to the title two years before the equivalent men’s tournament was first played.
She was also instrumental in MCC’s decision to admit women members for the first time in 1998. By renaming the North Gate, the Heyhoe Flint Gate, MCC have ensured she becomes the first woman to have part of Lord’s named after her.
It means Heyhoe Flint, who died aged 77 in 2017, has been accorded a similar honour to WG Grace, with the Grace Gates at the main entrance to Lord’s named after the game’s outstanding 19th century player and pioneer.—APP
