(From Umpire Tim Pellew)
Hey Jude
Not about the Beatles !
Before umpiring a Women's C Grade T20 match
this season between Kensington and Southern District,
I checked the teams' players on the SACA
website and recorded them in my match book.
I wondered if Southern's captain Margaret Jude
could be related to she with the same name with
whom I shared school functions and with whom I
played successful mixed doubles tennis matches.
Upon arrival at the Park 25, gosh, after some 45+
years it was the same old friend, Marg Jude. Imagine
the look on a few faces when our greeting was
a spontaneous mutual hug!
That had to be explained!
Marg Jude is the captain/coach of Southern District
Women's C Grade team, a team that includes many
eager young girls learning to play cricket. A coach
was sought and Marg obtained the job much to her
delight, albeit having to travel from Currency
Creek for once a week practices and for Sunday
matches.
In response to my querying why she was playing at
"our" age she responded that she found it the only
way she could successfully guide so many of the
youngsters. As she had in her youth, she kept wickets
from where she felt could help her team best.
Wicketkeep at her age, I thought, squatting, standing,
squatting and so on!
The youngest in her team was just 9 years old –
yes, a bit young maybe but the young girl wants to
play and there is a shortage of players for that
grade of cricket down south. So there it was, a
cricket team in an official match with 60 years between
oldest and youngest player.
Maybe a record there somewhere!
But what about Margaret Jude?
It is my guess that I was the only person at the
ground that day that knew quite a bit about her
background, that in fact she played 1 Test Cricket
match for
Lords as the reserve 'keeper.' She played 5 ODIs
representing both
Women's Team and played in the first year of the
women's ODI World Cup competition in 1972
as Vice Captain of the International team
(remember, the men's first ODI World Cup competition
was 1975).
Marg played cricket at
1959-61 and then for Graduates team and represented
her diploma as a Physical Education
teacher in 1962, she moved to
for the 1963 Australian Women's cricket
tour of
years and played for Invicta Club and for
Club. Back to
State in cricket and also in hockey. In 1969 she
was selected in the Australian Women's hockey
team to tour
where she played cricket for 3 years within the
Club and County competitions as captain of Buckinghamshire
team and also played for Gunnesbury
Cricket Club. Back to SA and played State cricket
the following year before retiring from that level,
but continued to play lower grade cricket for many
years.
Margaret Jude is to be applauded for continuing
her interest in women's cricket by helping the
needs of the real starters and strugglers at Southern
District Women's Cricket Club.
(Tim Pellew)
