Lily Poulett-Harris, an Australian cricket player and educator, is honoured in today’s Google Doodle. She was born in Tasmania on this date in 1873 with the name Harriet Lily Poulett-Harris.
Poulett-Harris learned from her father, who oversaw the Hobart Boys’ High School and helped with the establishment of the University of Tasmania, as she grew up. She took a test with scholarship candidates even though she wasn’t qualified for funding at her father’s school, and she came in second.
Poulett-Harris was a multi-talented woman who played the piano and violin in addition to competing in athletics. Her love in the sport was likely inspired by the fact that her older brother played cricket and her father served as a trustee for the Southern Tasmanian Cricket Association. She made an offer in 1894, and the Oyster Cove Ladies Cricket Club was established. Many people believe this was Australia’s first dedicated cricket group. Poulett-Harris led the team as captain and rose to prominence in sports papers as a talented and graceful athlete who encouraged numerous additional female players to join. As Tasmania’s cricket industry grew, other women’s teams sprang up in Hobart, Huonville, Ranelagh, and Green Ponds.
Poulett-Harris continued to teach, play music, and participate in cricket for the remainder of her life. Plaques honouring her may be seen at Saint Simon and Saint Jude Anglican Church in Woodbridge and All Saints Anglican Church in Hobart, both of which she frequently performed at.
Happy birthday, Lily Poulett-Harris! Thank you for introducing women and girls in Australia to the amazing sport of cricket and for championing gender equality!
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