Image courtesy of the AWCC Archive, MCC Library

Cricket has been played by women and girls in Australia since 1874 with organised competitions at state level since the early 1900s and national level since 1930-31.

The first International match was played against England in Australia in 1934-35. The tourists won the three-Test series, two-nil.

Three years earlier, the Australian Women’s Cricket Council (AWCC) had been formed to administer and develop the game at national level.

In 1995 the AWCC changed its name to Women's Cricket Australia and in 2001 merged with the Australian Cricket Board (Cricket Australia from 2003) to streamline the administration of the game in Australia and to help cricket to realise its potential to attract women and girls to the game.

Cricket Australia provides the framework and support for all state associations to develop cricket for women and girls at levels ranging from junior to through to national interstate competitions at Under 17, Under 19 and Open levels.

According to the Australian Cricket Census, a total of 61,083 women and girls participated in Australian cricket competitions and programs in 2006-07.

Women's national championships played over a two-week 'carnival' were first held in 1930-31. Victoria has been the most successful state at senior level with 38 national titles to New South Wales' 22, South Australia 5 and Western Australia 1.

Image Courtesy of the AWCC Archive, MCC Library

Val Batty v England, 57/58 Tour, Courtesy of AWCC Archive, MCC Library

New South Wales has dominated, however, since the establishment of the Women's National Cricket League in 1996-97 with nine WNCL titles to Victoria's two. The WNCL, which replaced the nationals, provides for one-day matches played on a home-and-away basis with the top two teams contesting a best-of-three finals series.

Australia has been affiliated with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) since 1958 and is the No.1 ranked international team in the world in both one day and Test Cricket.

The first Women's World Cup was contested in 1973, two years before the World Cup for men. Australia has won five of the eight Women's World Cups and will defend the title it won in South Africa in 2005 when it hosts the next World Cup in 2009.

Image courtesy of the AWCC Archive, MCC Library

Australian Team in Adelaide, en route to England, 1937, Courtesy of AWCC Archive, MCC Library