Margaret Jennings: World Cup Winner
Born June 1st 1949 in Essendon, Victoria, former Australian Test captain, Margaret Jennings. Like the rest of us, Marg’s career started on the front lawn.
“We would often set up a box on the front lawn and play for hours on end. Then when I went to high school one of my teachers suggested I join the local women’s cricket team – Essendon.” – Marg
Marg worked her way through the grades, displaying not only quality wicket keeping skills, but also becoming highly proficient with the bat, so much so that she was promoted to opening the batting for her club. The opportunity to mix with one of the greats from the past era, former Test skipper Una Paisley, left a lasting impression upon the fledgling player.
In 1968/69 Jennings got a small taste of not just representing her state, but doing so in an international match, when she was picked in the Victoria Select XI to play a match against Rachel Heyhoe’s touring England team. It would be another two years before she would be selected for the Victoria senior team, but the rise after that was swift.
Test Cricket Debut
In 1970/71, Jennings debuted for Victoria in the national championships in Perth, under the captaincy of Miriam Knee. By the following season in 1971/72 the Test team had new wicket keeper in Marg Jennings when New Zealand toured Australia.
“Nerves played a huge part as you really didn’t have enough cricket at that level or just below international to just take a natural step – It was HUGE. I was extremely pleased to be selected as it was always my dream but it was a steep learning curve.”
Jennings took two catches and a stumping in New Zealand’s 89 run first innings total total, but only made two runs in Australia’s reply of 129. Australia went downhill from there, losing to McKelvey’s New Zealand. It was a tough initiation for the new keeper.
By the 1975/7 tour of the West Indies, the keeper had now been given her dream spot at the top of the order.
“I always opened for my club but when I first played for Australia I was told ‘they didn’t mind a WK who couldn’t bat’ so for me this was my challenge to work towards doing better up the order. I resolved to prove these people wrong.”
It was with the gloves that Marg starred on that tour. Keeping to the quality quicks of Gordon, Treadrea, Thompson was one thing, but the real measure of a keeper is to the spinners and Aussie tweaker Marie Lutschini was one fabulous spinner. The first three wickets of the Test series at Montego Bay, stumped Jennings, bowled Lutschini. Six stumpings in the two Tests.
Modest returns in the Caribbean with the bat, but at Edgbaston in 1976, Marg broke through with a century, 104 out of a team total of 236, becoming the first Australian wicket keeper to score a ton.
Test Captaincy
In 1976/7 Marg was promoted to captain of the Australian Test team in a one off Test against India.
“I actually loved the challenge of captaining – a bit like chess – where you move players to make a difference. I always was thinking of how I would change things to make something happen. So I guess the role of captain was always a challenge and to captain my country was always my dream.”
I wouldn’t take on Marg at chess. In three days at Perth she guided the team to a 147 run victory over India. It would be her final Test match.
World Cup 1978
In 1978 Australia traveled to India for the second World Cup. As with the inaugural World Cup in 1973, the winner would be decided on points won. Only four teams contested, previous winner, England, previous runner up Australia, New Zealand and India.
Australia brushed Trish McKelvey’s New Zealand aside winning by 66 runs and by a similar margin knocked over the host nation. For the second time running, the World Cup would be decided by the last match: England versus Australia.
Jennings won the toss at Hyderabad and on an unusually green Indian wicket, sent England in to bat. Raelee Thompson bowled nine overs and went for only 18 runs. Peta Cook took 2/9 from eight overs and Sharyn Fitzsimmons 2/14 from ten overs. Sharon Tredrea, who’d spent a season out with injury, relished her return to international cricket by taking four English wickets for 25 runs. England were skittled for 96.
Marg Jennings opened the batting and remained not out 57 as she guided her team to victory off her own bat. Australia were 2 down for 100. Australia had won the World Cup.
Post retirement Jennings continued with cricket off the field where she was a state and national selector for a number of years.
“We selected a young Belinda Clark as an opening bat and replaced a more senior player in 1991 and then selected her to captain in 1994. What a great leader and player.”
It’s a long way from Essendon to Montego Bay, Birmingham and Hyderabad. Margaret Jennings did it all.
