Enid Bakewell facts for kids

Enid Bakewell is a famous English cricketer who played for the English women's cricket team. She was born on December 16, 1940. Enid is known as one of the best all-rounders in women's cricket. An all-rounder is a player who is good at both batting and bowling.

She played in 12 Test matches and 23 One-Day International (ODI) matches between 1968 and 1982. In Test matches, she scored 1,078 runs and took 50 wickets. She even scored four centuries (100 runs or more in one innings).

In 2014, a famous cricket book called Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named her one of the five greatest female players ever. She was also added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2012.

Early Life and Cricket Start

Enid Bakewell grew up in Newstead Village, Nottinghamshire, England. She loved cricket from a young age. She went to primary school in Newstead and then to Brincliffe County Grammar School.

At 14, she started playing for the Nottinghamshire county women's team. She first focused on batting. Later, she learned to bowl slow left-arm spin, inspired by cricketer Tony Lock.

After finishing college in 1959, she got married and had three children.

Amazing Cricket Career

Enid Bakewell was a key player for England. She was considered for the Test tour to Australia in 1963 but missed it. She also missed home Tests in 1966 because she was pregnant.

She joined the England team for the 1968–69 tour to Australia and New Zealand. In her very first Test match against Australia in 1968, she scored a century. This was a huge achievement for a debut player. She scored two more centuries against New Zealand in 1969.

Enid was small but very quick and athletic on the field. During that tour, she had a batting average of 39.60 and took 118 wickets.

World Cup Success

Enid played a big part in England winning the first-ever 1973 Women's Cricket World Cup. In the final match against Australia, she scored 118 runs. She also took two wickets in that game.

She also played in the 1982 Women's Cricket World Cup when she was 41 years old. In that tournament, she took three wickets against India and three more against the International XI team.

Record-Breaking Performances

In 1979, during a Test match against West Indies, Enid had an incredible performance. She scored 68 runs in the first innings. Then, in the second innings, she scored 112 runs and was not out (meaning she stayed batting until the end). She also took 10 wickets in that match. This included her best bowling figures of 7 wickets for 61 runs.

She and fellow cricketer Lynne Thomas hold a record in the Women's Cricket World Cup. They made the highest opening partnership ever, scoring 246 runs together.

International Centuries

Enid Bakewell scored several centuries in her international career. A century is when a batter scores 100 runs or more in one innings.

Test Centuries

Test centuries

No.	Runs	Opponents	City/Country	Venue	Year
1	101 not out	Australia	Adelaide, Australia	Barton Oval	1968
2	124	New Zealand	Wellington, New Zealand	Basin Reserve	1969
3	114	New Zealand	Christchurch, New Zealand	Hagley Oval	1969
4	112 not out	West Indies	Birmingham, England	Edgbaston	1979

One-Day International Centuries

One-Day International centuries

No.	Runs	Opponents	City/Country	Venue	Year
1	101 not out	International XI	Hove, England	County Ground	1973
2	118	Australia	Birmingham, England	Edgbaston	1973

Later Life and Recognition

Enid Bakewell continued to play cricket for local teams like East Midlands and Surrey even into her 50s. She is also a qualified cricket coach.

She kept playing cricket into her 80s! In 2021, she played for Caythorpe CC Women's Team. In 2022, she toured Australia with the East Anglian Veteran Ladies team.

In 2012, Enid was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. This is a very special honor for cricket legends. She was the third woman cricketer to receive this award.

In 2019, she was awarded the MBE. This is a special award from the British government for her contributions.