Australia v England
Sydney Cricket Ground. Sydney: 19th – 22nd February 1949
Some good news for England: Molly Hide wins the toss and elects to bat at the SCG, but there is a question mark over the Test: the weather, for there are dark clouds circling.
Despite a bright 63 from the skipper, England are all out for a below par 172, with wickets shared among the Australian bowlers, Amy Hudson best with 3-9. Betty Wilson was kept “quiet” – only 1/31 from 24 overs! Brilliant fielding again underpinned the bowling, with Lorna Larter continuing to lead the way with her excellence behind the stumps, while Joan Schmidt picked up three catches in the slips. Anything that went within cooee of Schmidt was taken, such was the athleticism of the Victorian.
Schmidt continued her involvement, scoring 21 before being the first wicket to fall, to Megan Lowe, when the score was 31. A half century to Hudson (55) was the best contribution for Australia, but everyone seemed to get starts and the innings came to an end when Myrtle Craddock was out for 2, the total being a solid 272. Maclagan was the best of the England bowlers with 4-67 from 38 overs.
The wicket by now had flattened out somewhat and the English seemed more composed in the second innings, although their innings was punctuated by rain stoppages. The rain in fact robbed the match of the chance of a result, with England 4/205 when play stopped on the last day, with Molly Hide treating the Sydney crowd to 124 not out, finally displaying her talent in this Test series.
The drawn match meant that the Australians had won the series 1-0 and thus for the first time in the history of Australian cricket, had beaten England in a Test series. Mollie Dive and her Australian team had wrested the Ashes from England and thus Dive became Australia’s first Ashes winning captain.
Scores
England 172 (Hide 63, Hudson 3/11) and 4/205 (Hide 124* Maclagan 3/69) drew with Australia 272 (Hudson 55, Laughton 47, Paisley 46, Maclagan 4/67)