The Nottinghamshire 'trailblazer' who changed women’s cricket forever

The story of a pioneer of women’s cricket and legendary batter is the subject of a major exhibition at Trent Bridge as part of a new wave of recognition for prestigious female players from Notts.

Among the many historical women players being honoured at the club, Eileen White is one of the most outstanding figures of the era.

She was a formidable player in her time, and a passionate supporter of the game after she hung up her bat.

White was responsible for furthering the cause of the women’s game both locally, nationally, and internationally, with innovations that researchers say have altered the modern game.

We know what we know about Eileen thanks to the wealth of items and memories and records she collected and kept during her lifetime, and which her family has kindly donated to Trent Bridge.

Born in 1912, and educated at the old Mundella Grammar School in the Meadows, White’s passion for cricket developed when she was a child.

When as a young woman she found herself working at Boots, she immediately set about righting a wrong - the company was very encouraging of sports among its staff, but there was no women’s cricket team.

Establishing that team set White on a lifelong crusade: to encourage women and girls into cricket, foster their talent, and bring the women’s game as close to parity of respect with the men’s game as she could.

Not that White was going to just sit on the boundary: she was one of the best batters in the local women’s game, and recorded some famous innings as opening batter between 1933 and 1952.

But it was in her skills as an organiser, nurturer, and motivator that really set her apart.

That’s one of the key messages of a special exhibition currently on in the - sadly members only - pavilion at Trent Bridge.

The Eileen White exhibition has been curated by Sam Ball, historian and volunteer at the Trent Bridge Heritage Team and the Women in Cricket heritage project - which is calling out for more stories of inspiring female cricketers.

She says: “Eileen really was a pioneer, her story was so valuable.

“What’s interesting about this archive is that it’s against the backdrop of the history of women’s cricket itself, in terms of how women organised, administered, and funded their game.

“She was really involved and looked at the bigger picture. She was really keen on women coaching and umpiring, and improving standards all the time.”

And those efforts, says John Hess, a volunteer at Trent Bridge and member of the Heritage Team, have had huge, lasting positive effects on the women’s game well beyond Nottinghamshire.

“Eileen was a trailblazer for women’s cricket,” says Hess.

“She set the building blocks for women in cricket. Without her women wouldn’t be playing cricket now.

“She was very much at the heart of the women’s committee. She kept it going in the 1950s and 1960s.

“She paved the way for the women’s game now. Without Eileen, hand on heart I think the women’s game wouldn’t be in the position it is.”

And thanks to the Women in Cricket project, it’s been quite a time of progress for the women’s game at Trent Bridge.

Over the past year a number of new features have been established at the world famous cricket ground besides the Eileen White exhibition, including first-ever woman’s Honours

Board in within the pavilion’s grand Long Room, and the Women at the Wicket display in the Wynne-Thomas Library.

Eileen White passed away in 2008 at the age of 96 - agreed by all to be a good innings.

And while it was in the post-war period of the 1950s that her hard work really began, the fruits of those efforts are still growing through.

The East Midlands elite women’s team, known as The Blaze, is one of the best in the country, and women’s cricket is thriving both in England and internationally as never before.

It’s a typically humble Nottingham story, told by dedicated historians and passionate supporters.

Through their efforts, and in the many great things that have come as a result, the life and work of Eileen White lives on.