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Notes on the Blue Cricket Ball.

Victorian men did not formally “ban” the red cricket ball for women, but rather experimented with a blue ball in 1897 to prevent female players from allegedly fainting at the sight of the red colour, which was seen as too reminiscent of blood. The blue ball was largely unsuccessful as it was hard to see against the green grass and sky. 

  • The primary motivation, according to historical accounts, was a condescending belief, by Victorian men, that women would be frightened or faint upon seeing the traditional red ball.
  • A blue ball was produced by Alfred Reader for Gamages Ltd. in 1897 specifically for women to use, which was considered a “curious experiment”. However the blue ball did not perform well in terms of visibility, making it difficult to use in actual games.

The history of the blue “St Ivel” cricket ball that is in the Women’s Cricket display, as described in Wisden 1977 is as follows:-

“Preparations for the fiftieth birthday of the Women’s Cricket Association were started over two years ago and were stepped up when it became known that the Australians had accepted the invitation to tour England for a Test series as part of the celebrations… 

The most memorable event in a Golden Jubilee season packed with cricket, as well as social functions, was the falling, to women cricketers, of the last stronghold of cricket, Lord’s, and with the blessing of the MCC.

England played Australia on Wednesday, August 4 in a 60-over match and history was made. A centrally pitched wicket was provided and countless press, broadcasting and television personnel took an active interest

England celebrated the day fittingly with an eight wicket victory but  forfeited the St. Ivel Jug, Australia having achieved the faster scoring rate in the combined Canterbury and Lord’s limited-over matches. 

The scene in the Long Room afterwards was one to be remembered. Many spectators, most of them women, stood there to watch the President of the MCC, present the trophy to Australia and players of both teams received from the sponsors a specially manufactured blue cricket ball in commemoration of the historic occasion.”

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Len Braund – cricket ball

Thanks to the SCCC Reception Team for passing this ball onto us from an unknown donor. Apparently found in a bin!

The ball was presented to Somerset County Cricket Club’s Len Braund for his score of 104, in the first test match (July 1st-3rd) at Lord’s, of the 1907 series. The match was drawn.

This was also the first test match played at Lord’s by any South African team.

Len Braund scored 104 runs for England against South Africa in the first Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground in July 1907. Batting at number 6, he helped England reach 428. It was his sole Test century and secured his place on the honours board during a match that ultimately ended in a draw due to rain. 

Match Details: 1st Test, Lord’s, July 1-3, 1907 

  • Result: Match Drawn
  • England 1st Innings: 428 (Len Braund 104, G.L. Jessop 93, B.J.T. Bosanquet 57; A.E.E. Vogler 7-128).
  • South Africa 1st Innings: 140 (D.A. Nourse 62, G.A. Faulkner 44; E.G. Arnold 5-37).
  • South Africa 2nd Innings (Following on): 185-3 (P.W. Sherwell 115*, C.M.H. Hathorn 30). 

Key Aspects of the Match:

  • Braund’s Innings: Entering with England struggling at 140-4, Braund anchored the innings over four hours (240 minutes), hitting 12 fours.
  • South Africa’s Resilience: Despite a first-innings collapse to 140, South Africa batted out time on the final day, aided by a 115-run inning from captain Percy Sherwell in the second innings.
  • Crowd Attendance: Despite the draw, the match was popular, with over 17,000 attending the first day and over 19,000 on the second.