Eileen Ash


Eileen Ash is a former English cricketer who played seven Test matches for England between 1937 and 1949. She is the oldest living international cricketer.

Career

Whelan played Test cricket both before and after the Second World War, making her debut against Australia at Northampton in June 1937, and playing her last game against New Zealand in Auckland in March 1949. A specialist bowler, she took 10 Test wickets at 23 runs apiece. Whelan also played representative cricket for the Civil Service, Middlesex and South of England.
Outside of playing cricket, Ash was employed by the Civil Service from the age of 18. She was seconded to MI6 during World War II, and went on to work with the organisation for eleven years. Ash and her husband eventually retired to Norwich. She took up golf in later life, only quitting at the age of 98.
In 2011, Ash became the first female test cricketer to live to 100 years old. She was made an honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club to mark the occasion. Writing for the BBC in February 2017, Heather Knight, England's captain, said,
I had the absolute privilege of meeting Eileen Ash, the oldest living Test cricketer for some filming before I left for Australia, and she is easily one of the most extraordinary ladies I've ever met. She's 105, does yoga every week and I've met teenagers who have a lot less energy than she does! It was amazing to hear some of her experiences of playing cricket for England, especially the boat trips they used to have to take to play in Australia, and she also took me through her yoga routine. My pride, and a number of my muscle groups, are still in tatters after being put to shame by a 105-year-old.

In July 2017, aged 105, Ash rang the bell at Lord's to signal the start of play at the 2017 Women's World Cup Final, which England won. She passed her driving test at the age of 105, a feat covered on the ITV reality show 100-Year-Old Driving School. To mark her 106th birthday, she was taken for a flight in a Tiger Moth. In November 2018, she opened a sports hall named in her honour at The Hewett Academy in Norwich.