Jill Elizabeth Cruwys (5 December 1943 – 30 December 1990) was an Englishcricketer who played primarily as abatter. She appeared in 5Test matches and 7One Day Internationals forEngland between 1969 and 1976. Cruwys was a member of the successful England team that beatAustralia atEdgbaston to win the firstWomen's World Cup in July 1973.^[1][2] She played domestic cricket primarily forKent^[2] andWest Midlands, as well as appearing in one match forWest of England.^[3][4]

Cruwys played for Kent between 1963 and 1968, appearing in ten matches.^[2] In 1968, she was selected to play in the England team touring Australia and New Zealand. In their first match in Australia, they beat Western Australia 228 for 5 declared, with Cruwys on 71 not out.^[5] Cruwys topped the England team's batting averages for all three games played in Australia with 70.5.^[6] She played in the England team against New Zealand inWellington,^[2] and also played in a one day match inNelson, New Zealand, where her third wicket stand of 51 withSheila Plant (101) secured a win for England.^[7] She was also a member of the England women's team which toured the West Indies in 1971.^[8]

In 1974, she joined the West Midlands women's team,^[9] where she andRachael Heyhoe Flint formed "the main strength" of the side playing against Australia in Wolverhampton in 1976.^[10] At the time of her selection for the England women's team in 1976, she was described as "reputedly the finest fielder England women's cricket has produced."^[11] At a charity match in 1972 between aLord's Taverners men's team and a women's team led by Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Cruwys "won frequent applause and took two catches in the deep, of which any man would have been proud,"^[12] and in the1973 Women's Cricket World Cup, "the fielding of both teams was a joy to watch and especially for England, Jill Cruwys' throwing in from the deep, which would put many county players to shame."^[1]

Jill Cruwys was born in Bromley, Kent,^[2] the youngest child of Leslie Jackson Cruwys, a car sales executive,^[8] and Margaret Elizabeth, née Gosling.^[13] She started playing cricket aged four, using a tennis ball and chalked wicket.^[8] She attendedDartford College of Physical Education, graduating in 1965,^[14] and then worked as a physical education teacher atWest Wickham, Kent andDroitwich High School, Worcestershire.^{[8][11][15][16]} She also played hockey for Kent from 1966-1969, and for Worcestershire from 1969-1970.^[15][17] Her hobbies were music, badminton and woodwork.^[15][18]She died of breast cancer in 1990, aged 47.^[13]

In 2020, she was awarded Kent Women Cap no. 13.^[2]

• Jill Cruwys atESPNcricinfo

• 1943 births
• 1990 deaths
• Cricketers from the London Borough of Bromley
• People from Bromley
• English women cricketers
• England women Test cricketers
• England women One Day International cricketers
• Kent women cricketers
• West Midlands women cricketers
• West women cricketers

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