Legend Rolton earns prestigious SACA honour

Former Australia captain Karen Rolton has become the first woman to receive Honorary Life Membership of the South Australian Cricket Association.

Rolton, who played 14 Tests, 141 ODIs and 15 T20s for Australia, was a unanimously nominated for the honour by the SACA Board which was subsequently ratified by the SACA Members present at the Annual General Meeting held at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.

A native of Adelaide, Rolton scored a record 5,521 runs at 56.92 for the South Australian Scorpions in the Women's National Cricket League.

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The left-hander posted two Test centuries including a magnificent 209no against England at Headingley in 2001 to set a new world record for the highest individual score in women's Test cricket.

Rolton hit eight one-day international centuries, perhaps none better than her match-winning 107no in the 2005 World Cup final against India in Centurion, South Africa.

"This is a fantastic honour and probably something that I never expected," Rolton said.

"I always loved playing for the state. It's something I looked forward to every year, pulling on the red (cap) and going whether I was captain or just playing.

"I loved representing South Australia and when I could being able to play on the best oval in the world."

SACA's General Manager of Cricket Operations, Shane Bernhardt, endorsed Rolton's nomination.

"As South Australia's longest serving captain, Karen is undoubtedly one of Australia's most decorated cricketers," Bernhardt said.

"Her commitment and love for the game was second to none and her desire to be the very best was evident in what was a once in a lifetime contribution to our game.

"Karen was also a pioneer for women's cricket, representing Port Adelaide regularly in the men's B Grade competition."