Did you know India’s first girls cricket match was held in Kerala in 1914

Dubai: Last week was a moment of pure euphoria for the Indian women’s cricket team as they lifted the Women’s World Cup trophy in Mumbai. Yet, few are aware that the roots of women’s cricket in India trace back more than a century — to a small town in central Kerala.

Historical records reveal that India’s first-ever girls’ cricket match was played in Kottayam, thanks to an Australian missionary named Gwen Kellaway.

Arriving in Kerala in 1912 as part of the Church Mission Society, Kellaway served as the headmistress of Baker School in Kottayam. Determined to introduce girls to the sport, she organised the first match in 1914 at the Baker School Ground. The two teams consisted of 11 players each — students from Baker School and boarders from CMS College.

According to Dr. Ashok Alex Philip, former principal of Peet Memorial Training College in Mavelikara and associate editor of Jnananikshepam, Kellaway even imported fabric for the players’ white uniforms from Manchester. The funds raised from these matches were used to support patients seeking treatment at a hospital in Cherthala. She also delivered popular talks titled “Pitch Talk”, addressing socially significant topics.

Born in Melbourne in 1887, Kellaway was just 25 when she came to Kerala. She continued to promote women’s cricket in Kottayam until 1925, before moving to Thiruvalla to become the first principal of Vanitha Mandiram, an institution established by the Mar Thoma Church. She remained there until 1946, after which she returned to Australia. Fittingly, she named her home in the Melbourne suburb of Upwey “Mandiram.” Gwen Kellaway passed away in 1972 — leaving behind a legacy that quietly shaped the beginnings of women’s cricket in India.