Fifty years ago, Barbara Schmidt was invited by a friend to attend a cricket club in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, with promises of a lively bar and social scene.
Phoenix Cricket Club is Ireland’s longest-standing offering to the sport, and Schmidt went on to be recognised as one of its most influential members.
As well as becoming the first female president of the club in 1990, she was a member of the inaugural Phoenix women’s side, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend.
“There were no women’s toilets here then,” she said. “It was a men’s club from 1830, with no women at all, so we had to use the gents’ and stand guard.
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“There was a social scene, and some of the guys were married to some of the women. We were expected to make teas and that. Jenny Halliday, in particular, got fed up doing teas and said ‘Here, we want to play’. She arranged a friendly match between Phoenix and Trinity.”
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That game took place in 1974 or 1975 – Halliday has the clipping of an Irish Times article documenting its occurrence, but the date is missing.
An official Phoenix women’s team was later established and Schmidt was called up to the roster. She ended up on the executive committee with a lot of “elderly, serious gents”, and struck a deal that the women would make teas for the men if they agreed to coach and umpire for them in return.
“The very first team played in blue jeans and white polo shirts,” Schmidt said. “Then we went into white bell-bottoms, because that was the style, and white shirts. [Later] we had divided skirts and a row [broke out] – when I heard the skorts and shorts debate, I thought ‘Oh God, are we still arguing about that?’ Now, you see, they play in modern training gear.”
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Saturday’s celebrations included a Garda Band performance, special appearances from former players on the 1970s women’s sides, and challenge matches involving schoolgirls, former Irish internationals and the current Phoenix women’s side. Facilities, thanks to years of banging on the door, have vastly improved.
In 1980, Schmidt and her team-mates wanted to become full club members. It took three different AGMs, at which the women could speak but not vote, for them to persuade two-thirds of the club’s male members to accept them.
A decade later, Schmidt was made president of Phoenix, beating Mary Robinson to a presidency in the Phoenix Park by a matter of months.
For the first and only time in the club’s history, an election was held, and a secret vote was required.
“Once I was elected, the older gents were absolutely fine,” Schmidt said. “I was summoned to a corner of the bar, poured a whiskey, and they just said good luck.”
Jackie Cahill is the current president of Phoenix, and the fourth woman in the club’s history to hold the role. She joined the club in 2010, and is quick to highlight its continued progress. Three members of the current crop - Gaby Lewis, Georgina Dempsey and Alice Tector - are Irish internationals.
“I can see how far it’s come in the 15 years that I’ve been involved,” Cahill said. “Barbara has absolutely been the powerhouse behind that. The dogged determination – ‘no’ is not an answer, and the women are entitled to exactly the same [as the men].”
Cahill admitted to feeling a little emotional as she prepared a speech for Saturday’s anniversary.
In 2030, Phoenix will be 200 years in operation as a club – a feat that may be unrivalled in Irish sport. These moments are hugely significant and, as Schmidt pointed out, they act as a catalyst for the next generation.
“I hope some of these youngsters will be here for the 100th anniversary [of the women’s team],” she said. “I hope some of these young girls will see the history and will carry it on because that’s what’s important.”
