Mary Duggan

She appeared in 17 Test matches for England between 1949 and 1963, and captained the side from 1957 onwards. Most of her domestic career was spent with Middlesex.

Mary Duggan

Posing for a coin toss photo in 1957
Personal information
Full name	Mary Beatrice Duggan
Born	(1925-11-07)7 November 1925 Worcester, Worcestershire, England
Died	10 March 1973(1973-03-10) (aged 47) Colwall, Herefordshire, England
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Left-arm medium-fast Slow left-arm orthodox
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Jonathan Agnew (cousin)
International information
National side	England (1949–1963)
Test debut (cap 21)	15 January 1949 v Australia
Last Test	20 July 1963 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1949	Yorkshire
1951–1963	Middlesex
Career statistics
Competition WTest WFC Matches 17 65 Runs scored 652 1,708 Batting average 24.14 21.89 100s/50s 2/1 2/3 Top score 108 108 Balls bowled 3,734 10,616 Wickets 77 246 Bowling average 13.49 12.52 5 wickets in innings 5 15 10 wickets in match 0 3 Best bowling 7/6 8/21 Catches/stumpings 9/– 31/–
Source: CricketArchive, 10 March 2021

Duggan was the youngest of three children of Mary Heath (née Gattey) and Norman Duggan, a physician and surgeon. She attended the Alice Ottley School, Worcester and Royal High School, Bath, before training as a physical education teacher at Dartford College of Physical Education.

A right-handed batter, Duggan scored 652 runs in Tests at an average of 24.14, and in her last game hit an unbeaten century against Australia at the Oval (the first there by a woman at Test match level). She was also an effective bowler, and bowled both medium pace and left-arm orthodox spin. Her tally of 77 Test wickets, taken at an average of just 13.49, remains an all-time record. In February 1958, she took a remarkable 7 wickets for 6 runs in the first innings of the second Test against Australia, played at the St Kilda Cricket Ground, Melbourne. Until 1995 these were the best figures in women's Test history, and as of 1 January 2024^[update], have been surpassed only twice. In 1957, she took over the England captaincy from Molly Hide. In addition to her hundred in her final match, she took 7 for 72, and was instrumental in England winning the match and the series.

In 1962, Duggan and Ruth Westbrook became the first women to be awarded the MCC's advanced coaching certificate. At the time of her death, she was president of the Women's Cricket Association, and for 10 years had been vice-principal of Dartford College of Education. Amongst the students she taught there was her successor as England captain, Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who picked out Duggan as being one of the institution's "first-class lecturers".

Duggan was a first cousin of England cricketer and cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew.

• List of centuries in women's Test cricket