Clare Connor


Clare Joanne Connor, CBE is an English former all-round cricketer who bats right-handed and bowls slow left arm spin. She made her England One Day International debut in 1995 and played her first Test match that winter. She achieved a hat-trick against India in 1999 and captained England from 2000 until her retirement from international cricket in 2006.
She is currently the Director of Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Early life and career

Connor was born on 1 September 1976 in Brighton, East Sussex, England. She studied English at the University of Manchester, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998. During her time at Manchester Clare was a resident at Hulme Hall.
Connor taught English, P.S.H.E and PE at Brighton College while heading up their PR operations, and also spent time working for Channel 4.

Cricket career

Connor first came to prominence by captaining the U16 at Preston Nomads, a leading club side in Sussex. The youth manager, Malcolm Reid, was responsible for this appointment and the move was supported by the club. She also played for the Brighton College team a little before her England career began. She has also appeared in The Cricketer Cup, the first woman ever to do so. In 2004/05 she captained the England side to the semi-finals of the 2005 Women's World Cup in South Africa, and that winter also played state cricket for Central Districts Women in New Zealand.
In 2006, she became the first woman to play for the all-star charity side, Lashings World XI.

Honours

In the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Connor was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to Women's Cricket". In the 2006 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to Cricket"; at the same time, the men's winning Ashes Team also received honours. As the current director of English women's cricket, following the team's success in winning the 2017 World Cup she was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 2018 New Year Honours list.
On 24 June 2020 via online platforms, Connor was announced as the next President of the Marylebone Cricket Club and she will assume her duties in the office as President as of 1 October 2021 replacing Kumar Sangakkara whose term was extended to further six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also became the first woman to be appointed as the President of MCC in the 233 years of MCC club's history.