Jan Brittin, the former England batter, became the first ever female cricketer to have a room named after her in the members pavilion at the Oval in Surrey. Brittin passed away in 2017 aged 58 after battling cancer. She remains the leading run scorer in Tests with 1935 runs, including five centuries. Brittin had a long career for England spanning 19 years between 1979 and 1998, including a World Cup win in 1993.
The feats achieved by Brittin are now celebrated with a room named after her in the Mickey Stewart Members' pavilion, which was officially opened on Tuesday (July 30).
Charlotte Edwards, former England captain, and Ebony Rainford-Brent considered Brittin as their hero growing up. The irony is that while Edwards and Rainford-Brent are now household names and celebrated figures across the globe, Brittin's feats are largely limited to England and Surrey county.
“Jan Brittin was an incredible force in the women’s game both for Surrey and for England," Rainford-Brent said at the event. "She set records that likely will never be broken, won a World Cup for England and played a vital role in bringing the game into the modern age."
“I am proud that our club is recognising her brilliance and influence in this way and naming a room in one of the ground’s most iconic and historic areas in her honour,”
"Jan is a Surrey legend,” Richard Thompson, Surrey chairman, later told Daily Telegraph, echoing Rainford-Brent's sentiments. "This is about making sure we don’t forget those legends.”
In 1999, Brittin was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket. She grew up in Chessington, Surrey and was into sports from an early age. She achieved the rare distinction of having represented England schools in athletics, while also adding indoor hockey and indoor cricket to her repertoire.
While speaking to Daily Telegraph, Barbara Daniels, her teammate, recalled a time when Brittin, after retirement from cricket in 1998, served as a coach and spotted a young Sarah Taylor in the nets: “She’s going to be pretty good,” she is reported to have said.
Brittin played cricket at a time when there was no money in the women's game. She had to take care of her studies, then worked as a manager for British Airways, all the while maintaining her performance on the field of play. With so much on her plate, Brittin still put in hours after hours of training and was widely regarded for her incredible athleticism in the field.
“We haven’t done enough for the women of Surrey, but it’s never too late to put things right,” concluded Thompson.
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