{"id":1920,"date":"2014-10-01T15:36:17","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T14:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/st-albans-and-district\/?page_id=1920"},"modified":"2025-12-15T22:56:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:56:31","slug":"audrey-collins-obe-1915-2010","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/st-albans-and-district\/about-our-club\/inspirational-members\/audrey-collins-obe-1915-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Audrey Collins OBE 1915-2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Audrey Collins OBE 1915-2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audrey Collins OBE, was one of the towering figures of women\u2019s cricket in England and was awarded her OBE for services to women’s cricket.<\/p>\n

Audrey taught chemistry at St Albans Girls’ Grammar School\u00a0for 35 years from the 1940s.\u00a0She played both cricket and hockey\u00a0for\u00a0local clubs\u00a0well into her later years.\u00a0Audrey was a member of Soroptimist International\u00a0St Albans and District Club for 38 years, joining in 1972 and was President in 1978. On Audrey\u2019s 90th birthday she was was thrilled to be presented with a cricket bat signed by the England women\u2019s team. Audrey was always telling us how lucky she was to have had such a wonderful life, and we can only say how lucky we were to know her.<\/p>\n

Audrey\u00a0was a famed player and administrator who championed the cause of the women\u2019s game through the Women\u2019s Cricket Association (WCA).\u00a0She was one of the first 10 female members admitted by the MCC, when it voted to allow women to enter the Long Room in 1999.<\/p>\n

Audrey was born in India in 1915, her father was killed in the First World War, and her Australia-born mother decided to bring her three children to England in 1920.\u00a0Audrey played in her first women\u2019s cricket week aged 12, and went on to read Chemistry at the University of London.\u00a0She represented a number of women\u2019s teams, most prominently Middlesex women and South women, before playing her one and only official Test against Australia in the 1937 Ashes.\u00a0In the drawn Test at The Oval, Audrey scored 27 in the first innings batting at number eight. She put on 54 in half an hour with Betty Archdale, after the pair were told to \u201cget on with the job!\u201d<\/p>\n

Audrey moved to St Albans after the Second World War, played for the East and became secretary and later chairman of the WCA for six years.\u00a0Her term as WCA president, from 1983 to 1994, was the longest in the history of the organisation, which eventually merged with the ECB in 1998.\u00a0All of Audrey\u2019s work for the WCA was on a voluntary basis, and as such, she is credited with steering the WCA through lean times, and helping to lay the foundations for the healthy interest in cricket amongst women today.\u00a0In later years, Audrey was best known in the cricket world for her services to various chocolate firms in her unstinting efforts to raise funds in continued support of women\u2019s cricket.<\/p>\n

After her death the England team, on tour in India, wore black armbands during the second one day international and both teams observed a minute’s silence in her honour before the game.<\/p>\n

The following tribute\/memorial appeared on the England Cricket Board website:<\/p>\n

\u201cBless you Audrey, you are very much loved and missed by your fellow players at Radlett Cricket Club (Vagabonds). We have all benefited from your commitment and your love of the game. Your scorebook was never to be forgotten, even when you used light yellow pencil too. We have lovely memories of your last indoor game with us in 2007, batting, you tripped, the hall went silent, you picked yourself up to run again before the ball reached the stumps. If only other were made of the same stuff Audrey! We won the indoor league this year \u2013 and dedicate that win to you.\u201d Michele Verroken, Radlett CC.<\/p>\n

Audrey was founder of Radlett Women\u2019s Cricket and is picured above at the Radlett CC in 2007.Thanks to Radlett CC for the image and most of the text above.<\/p>\n

More about Audrey Collins as a Member of Soroptimist International St Albans and District<\/strong><\/p>\n

The “Soroptimist Audrey Collins Hertfordshire Girls under\u00a013\u2019s” cricket league\u00a0competition is sponsored by the St Albans Soroptimists\u00a0as a lasting legacy to\u00a0past member Audrey Collins who died in 2010. Audrey was an inspirational Soroptimist \u2013 a\u00a0pioneer of Women\u2019s cricket and\u00a0a trail blazer for women. A coaching programme for female coaches is also being created from the \u00a31000 legacy Audrey generously left the Club. For more about our Club’s Audrey Collins legacy project please see the webpage\u00a0www.sigbi.org\/st-albans\/charities\/cricket\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Audrey is listed as a “Herts Hidden Heroine” – click here for more: https:\/\/www.hertsmemories.org.uk\/content\/herts-history\/people\/audrey-collins-obe-cricketer<\/a><\/p>\n

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To celebrate the<\/strong>\u00a0centenary of Soroptimist International in 2021 more than<\/strong>\u00a0100 Soroptimists were selected to be commemorated as part of the \"\"<\/a>#WhoIsShe? Campaign – including Audrey Collins OBE.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>The centenary of the organisation seemed a fitting opportunity to recognise and celebrate the professional and personal commitments made by these outstanding members through the years. These #WhoIsShe? campaign members, both past and present, from Soroptimist International of\u00a0\"Soroptimist<\/a>Great Britain and Ireland have all been nominated by Soroptimist Clubs for their noteworthy contribution to society in the furtherance of the aims and objects of the organisation. For more see\u00a0www.sigbi.org\/soroptimistcentenary2021\/a-brilliant\/showcasing-one-hundred-soroptimists-for-the-centenary-100-4-100\/whoisshe-soroptimists-for-the-centenary\/showcases<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Audrey was showcased in November 2020 www,sigbi.org\/soroptimistcentenary2021\/showcases\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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