Despite what happened at Lord's in 2019, New Zealand has won a Cricket World Cup. It was at Lincoln in December 2000 that New Zealand beat Australia to win the Women's World Cup. The first recorded cricket match in New Zealand between teams of women had been played in the Wairarapa as long ago as 1867 and the New Zealand women played their first Test match in 1935. In 2014 Debbie Hockley became the second New Zealander after Sir Richard Hadlee to be inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame.
This is the story of women's cricket in New Zealand, from its earliest humble origins to its glory days on the international stage. It is also the story of the women who have come to be recognised amongst the very best in the world at their sport. It is the story of a game played for the sheer love of it, and of the hard work of the dedicated souls who built and sustained women's cricket, often in the face of challenge and adversity. Most of all it is the story of every woman who relished the warm sun on her face as she enjoyed the Trevor Auger has been involved with cricket almost all his life. A senior club cricketer in his day, he had earlier been the press scorer at international matches at Eden Park during the 1970s, taking inspiration from working alongside some of the top cricket writers from New Zealand and around the world. He contributes a regular column to the Auckland Cricket website, and he is a member of the Auckland Cricket Judicial Committee. Adrienne Simpson was a passionate cricket follower. She began research for a history of women's cricket in New Zealand in the late 1990s and was able to collect a vast trove of material. Unfortunately she took ill and passed away in 2010 before she could finish the book. Her family donated her to the New Zealand Cricket Museum, and her tireless efforts are the foundation upon which this book has been built.