Lynne Thomas achieved the distinction of becoming the first woman cricketer to score an international one-day century, for England against an International eleven at Hove during the inaugural womens’ cricket World Cup of 1973.
The PE teacher at Neath Girls Grammar School made 134 in an opening stand of 246 with Enid Bakewell of Notts, a world record which stood for 35 years until Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins put on 268 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2008.
One month after her trail-blazing century, England had won the World Cup, thrashing Australia in the final. Thomas contributed 40 runs and ended the six-match tournament with a batting average of 87.66.
As well as 24 one-day internationals, she also played in 10 Test matches for England in 10 years from 1966. And before she began helping England rule the cricket world, the girl who learned her cricket in Dafen had helped beat them on the hockey field for the first time, before 50,000 at Wembley during the course of more than one hundred internationals for Wales between 1961-1978.
Her father, Raymond, was a keen village cricketer and member of the Dafen cricket club in Llanelli and from the age of six she used to watch him play. By the time she was eight she had her own cricket bat from Woolworth’s and played in the nets while her father was in the middle.
She played in a boys team at Christchurch church in Llanelli and went on to play for Cardiff, Sussex Women, Glamorgan Women and West Counties Women. She went on a four-and-a-half month tour of New Zealand and Australia with England in 1968-69 and also went on tour to the West Indies in 1971.
An incredible batsman and run scorer all over the world, she would have scored many more runs had she not been run out in her career no fewer than 118 times. She was also a county standard badminton player and was named as the Llanelli Sportsman of the Year in 1969.
Derryth Lynne Thomas (Cricketer and Hockey Player) Born in Llanelli on 29 September, 1939
