Born on day 2nd June 1929 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, former Test player for England, and former umpire, June Pamela Bragger.
June played domestic cricket first for Lancashire from 1949 then later for Warwickshire from 1955. In 1951 she got her first taste of international cricket when playing for Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire against Mollie Dive’s touring Australians. She took only one wicket, that of opener and future Test captain Mary Allitt.
In 1963 June made her Test cricket debut against Allitt’s Australians. She took two wickets in the second innings including the Australian captain once again. She played in the other two Tests of the series with modest returns. In 1966 June played her final two Test matches, against the touring New Zealand team.
Upon retiring from cricket, June then began a new career within the game, that of umpire and she played that role in some most significant matches. She was an umpire in the England v Jamaica match in the first ever World Cup of cricket. It is listed as the ninth women’s ODI ever played.
June officiated in the first women’s match played at Lords, between England and Australia on 4th August 1976. In total she umpired in five ODIs.
A second “Test debut” came in the same series when June stood as umpire in the second Test between England and Australia. She would go on to umpire in five Test matches against four different nations – Australia, New Zealand, India and the West Indies. Very few people can lay claim to playing and umpiring in Test cricket. June passed away in June 1997 in Solihull, Warwickshire.
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