A batting allrounder from Lancashire, Chris Watmough played in thirteen Tests and 28 ODIs for England from 1968/9 to 1984/5.
Born on 22nd March 1947 in Preston, Lancashire, Chris made the tour to Australia in 1968/69 following good performances during the home season. The England captain was Rachael Heyhoe and Chris’ career would run alongside the England great for much of that time.
A debut in the first Test in Adelaide played at the Thebarton Oval in January 1969 was the first in a thirteen match career that went all the way into the mid 1980’s and the Jubilee Ashes series. In that time Chris scored 397 runs with a high score of 70 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 1984 in the famous come-from-behind Test victory for England.
Chris’ ODI debut came everybody else’s in that era: the inaugural World Cup held at home in 1973. It was the first of two World Cups in which Chris would feature for the England team. However her most famous ODI would have to be against Australia on 4th August 1976 when she was part of the team led by Rachael Heyhoe Flint onto the Lords Cricket Ground for the first time in the history of women’s cricket. Chris celebrated the day by scoring 50 not out as England cruised to victory over Australia at this famous venue.
Chris would score four half centuries in ODIs across her 28 matches, scoring 593 runs at 29.65. She collected 5 wickets at the handy average of 14.00 with a best of 3-28 against New Zealand in a tied fixture of the World Cup in 1982.
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