In 1973, Lynne Thomas became the first woman to score a One-Day International century for England.
Since then, 22 other women have achieved that feat, but what remains unique is that Thomas did it when female cricketers received no coaching, weren’t paid to play, and had to fundraise to go on tours abroad.
Almost 52 years later and women’s cricket continues to break barriers. The minimum salary for an England women’s domestic player is now equal to that of their counterparts in the men’s game, during the Ashes, Heather Knight’s side played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first time since 1949, and in 2026 Lord’s will host its first-ever women’s Test match.
“The women’s game has changed tremendously from when I first started playing,” Thomas, 85, said.
“We didn’t have any coaches, we would just turn up at the nets to practice, we weren’t being paid, and we wanted to play for the love of the game.
“I had to play in a boys team because there wasn’t a girls team around then.
“I was very fortunate because I had a leave of absence with pay which allowed me to go on tour and when I came home I had some money ready for the next trip.
“But a lot of girls had to give up their jobs and look for other ones when they got back home. They went through some really hard times and I admire them.”
Heather Knight (L) alongside Lydia Greenway, Lynne Thomas and Carole Cornthwaite (nee Hodges) (R)
In 1973, the women’s World Cup was held – two years before the men’s edition – where Thomas would go on to score the first ODI ton with her 134 not out at Hove, the highest score of the tournament.
She opened the batting with Enid Bakewell who 10 minutes later became the second woman to score a century for England.
However, it wasn’t until Thomas’ niece, Laura, spotted the achievement in the Guinness Book of Records that she realised she had made history.
“We didn’t keep statistics in those days, we just played the game and wanted to make a good score,” Thomas added.
“I was pleased when I heard about it, but we were just doing what we normally did – opening the batting together.
“We had no experience of playing ODI cricket, that was our first time. There were no specialist teams, we just played our best players, whether it was ODI or Test cricket.”
That opening partnership of 246 stood for 25 years until it was broken by Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor who shared a stand of 268 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2008.
England’s Sarah Taylor (L) and Caroline Atkins (R) with ex England batters Lynne Thomas and Enid Bakewell, after they broke their record in 2008
“I was at Lord’s when it happened and they asked us to go to the pavilion to get interviewed and have our photos taken, I didn’t realise what it was about first, then they told us the record had been broken,” Thomas said.
“It was funny because during our time, there was no fuss.”
She played 10 Tests and 24 ODI’s for England in an international career which spanned 13 years, including two Women’s World Cups.
From Wembley to Lord’s
Cricket seemed to come naturally to Thomas, but before that she was making history as a Wales hockey international.
In 1961, she played her first ever game for Wales and two years later was playing against England at Wembley where her team won 1-0. It was the first time England had lost at Wembley and the first time they had failed to score.
But it wasn’t until Thomas was 83 years old that she would receive her cap in 2023, finally being recognised for the achievement, despite a hockey career spanning from 1961 until 1979.
Thomas is the only player, male or female, to win international matches at two of the most revered stadiums: Wembley and Lord’s.
It was Thomas’ father who tempted her to change her sporting career after she suggested giving up cricket because there was too much travel involved.
“I told him I was giving up cricket and he said: ‘Can’t you give it one more year?,'” Thomas added.
“He said it was a shame because he thought I was a better cricketer than a hockey player, which really shook me. I thought he didn’t think much of my hockey, even though I was playing international level.
“I did play that extra year and that’s when I was selected for the England trials.”
Women’s cricket still faces challenges
The Hundred 2024 winners, Oval Invincibles and London Spirit, celebrate their respective men’s and women’s final wins at Lord’s
The women’s game has come a long way from when it first started, and Thomas’ stories are a testament to that progress, but they still face challenges.
An example of this in The Hundred, where pay bandings have been uplifted for the competition’s 2025 season, but while the overall pot has grown by 25 per cent, the gulf between the earning potential of leading men and women has also increased.
In the men’s competition, top-level players will see their pay increase by 60 per cent to £200,000, compared to a 30 per cent rise to £65,000 for leading women’s stars as part of an overall 25 per cent rise across all salary bands.
The Women’s Cricket Impact Report, published ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, noted: “The Professional Cricketers’ Association is concerned that the disparity between the men’s and women’s top salaries has increased, this cannot be allowed to continue.
“Considering the tournament is marketed equally amongst the men’s and women’s squads with the two teams, one club mantra, which is to be applauded, it is more than disappointing to see the gender pay gap increase.
“With the influx of money into the tournament through the private investment into the teams, stakeholders in the game should be doing everything possible to close this gap, especially considering the increased interest, viewership and ticket sales for women’s Hundred matches.”
England Women’s captain Heather Knight has lead the team since 2016
England Women’s captain Heather Knight, while applauding positive moves such as levelling international match fees between men and women, an aligned minimum wage in domestic cricket and the new tier one county revamp, reiterated the point.
In a foreword for the document, she wrote: “I’m honoured to have been part of the biggest transformation women’s cricket has seen and the players are immensely thankful to the PCA for challenging on our behalf and for being our voice in negotiations.
“Ultimately, this has happened due to the collaboration between the PCA and the ECB and I’ve been privileged to support with this. However, it’s imperative that progress continues as there’s still a lot of catching up required, as we’ve
seen recently with the disparity in the Hundred salaries, as we look to secure an equitable game in England and Wales.”
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 and this year the theme is ‘Accelerate Action’.
