Netta joined Gunnersbury in 1932 at the age of 21. the club was not yet seven years old! She remained a member until her death this summer, a few months short of 95. She quickly rose to prominence, captaining the 3rd XI in 1933, her second season. During the succeeding years she captained the first and second teams, and indeed held the club together in the war years of 1940-46 as captain of the only XI. Naturally she was soon selected for Middlesex and eventually for the national team, touring Australia in 1948-9 as Player/Manager. Her great ability to get on well with people made her ideally suited to being Manager. She repeated the Australian experience in 1957, this time as non-playing Manager, having by then also taken a touring team to Holland in 1952.

She was a great administrator. For many years she was Membership Secretary of the Cricket Society. She was also Secretary, briefly of Gunns and for a number of years of Middlesex WCA. In 1947 she took on secretaryship of the WCA itself.

Meanwhile she had been President of Gunns from 1946 to 1862. During this period the club had no Chairman. When a change of Constitution created that office, she switched from President to Chairman. Five years later, however, she returned to the Presidency and remained there for another 15 years, incorporating a spell as Middlesex WCA President during the same period.

One cannot talk about Netta without mentioning her friend and companion Edna Golding, known universally as ŒGoldieı. For nearly 60 years they shared the bungalow at 9 Birkdale Avenue, named Brondis from their respective birthplaces of Brondesbury and Diss. Goldie was Treasurer of Gunns for many years. Sadly, she died in the early part of this year and her going was a great blow to Netta.

I first met Netta long before I joined Gunns, when she was Chairman of the WCA Publicity Committee into which I had been drafted as a new and youngish member of the WCA. The three adjectives describing the meetings are brief, purposeful and very good humoured, typifying her approach to all that she did. The warmth of her personality is well evident in the photograph, where she is presiding at a 50th birthday party given by Gunns for Barbara Hunt, who will be affectionately remembered I am sure by anyone who played for or against Gunns in those days.

Many will remember the WCA magazine, ŒWomenıs Cricketı. It was a modest glossy, but high quality production. Reading through old issues now reminds me how good it was under her 10-year editorship.

In the post-war period womenıs cricket flourished and foundations were laid for future growth. Netta was a big mover in this consolidation and progress, playing a strong part in so many ways both within and outside the WCA. Her fantastic contribution to cricket and to womenıs cricket in particular was recognised many years ago with an MBE and again in 1999 with Honorary membership of MCC, as one of the first 10 women admitted to that establishment.

The WCA, Middlesex WCA and above all Gunns owe much to her. She will be remembered not only with gratitude but with affection by those who knew her.