Heyhoe Flint was in a class of her own

TRIBUTES have been paid to Baroness Rachael Heyhoe Flint following her death at the age of 77.

Heyhoe-Flint is seen as one of the pioneers having captained England between 1966 and 1978 and her contribution to the development of cricket in this country and beyond has been second to none.

The Baroness, who was also vice-president of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, played a key role in organising the first women’s World Cup in 1973 in which she captained England – two years before the men followed suit in 1975. Three years later, she captained England in the first women’s game at Lord’s.

Colin Graves, ECB Chairman, said: “She achieved so much for women’s cricket, and she was especially influential both on the Board and in the House of Lords, in what we did to tackle the problem across all sports for ticket touting.

“Her knowledge and understanding of key areas of the game was valued enormously by all their fellow directors.

“She was such an approachable person – she got on with everybody from whatever walk of life. And the development of women’s cricket to its current position, which really is unrecognisable from when Rachael was playing, is a lasting tribute to her.”

During Heyhoe Flint’s career, she played 22 Test matches and 23 ODIs. She was also the first woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2010.

Clare Connor, ECB’s director of women’s cricket, added: “It is hard to find the words to fully pay tribute to Rachael. She was so special, so ever-present and now she has gone – but her impact can never be forgotten.

“She was my friend and mentor and inspiration. And I am not alone; her impact, kindness and support was widely felt by so many.

“Rachael was one of our sport’s true pioneers and it is no exaggeration to say that she paved the way for the progress enjoyed by recent generations of female cricketers. I will always remember and continue to be inspired by her fortitude, her deep love of the game and her wicked, wonderful sense of humour. We are all in her debt on this very sad day.”