Born in Auckland in 1946, Edna Ryan is a former Test and ODI cricketer for New Zealand who kept wickets in two World Cup tournaments.
Edna’s career began with Auckland in 1965/6 and although she has a First Class century to her name (154) it was her gloves that did the talking. Testimony to that, her Test debut came in 1974/5 against Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington where she scored a duck batting at number eleven bowled by Raelee Thompson. However she picked up two stumpings from the bowling of Jackie Lord – including her opposite number, Aussie keeper Marg Jennings.
In five Test matches, Edna took just 3 catches but also stumped 11 victims.
Edna kept wickets for the White Ferns in two World Cups. She was there in India in 1978 and then at home in 1981/82. Against Australia in New Zealand’s final match, she took three catches and was still batting at number eleven where she was again bowled by Thompson, this time for 2.
In fifteen ODIs – all of them World Cup matches – Edna took 13 catches and 8 stumpings. That’s some cricketing adventure.