'I'm totally bowled over with my selection as the first woman president at historic Walsall Cricket Club'

Jane is the first ever female to be chosen to head the board at the historic sports ground and she revealed that her appointment came as a shock to her, although she was following in the footsteps of male relatives, who held the same post in the past.

 "It came as a complete surprise and shock, when Steve Joyce, the previous president advised me that the past presidents had held a meeting to decide who should be asked to take over and that I had been chosen.

"It was a huge honour to be asked and an offer that I accepted. To be the first female president in the club's 200-year history makes my appointment so very special.

"I spent all of my childhood weekends at Walsall Cricket Club and it's fair to say, that this has continued throughout most of my adult life.

"I have served on the general committee for several years as chairman of entertainments and more recently as subscriptions treasurer for the last two years. I am also on the fundraising sub committee where we are actively raising funds to install new cricket nets, to purchase new outdoor furniture and safe storage for our groundsman's equipment.

"My family connection to the club goes back many, many years with immediate family members also serving as president, on the general committee and as cricketers for our junior and senior sides. I have been married to Tony for 36 years, we have two  sons and two granddaughters.

"I took early retirement from my job in banking after 39 years service and I now enjoy travelling and watching Aston Villa Football Club which I have also supported since I was a child and I have been a season ticket holder for many years," Jane says.

She explains that the same benches captured in a photograph of her in 1966 at the cricket club, in Gorway Road,  in Highgate, Walsall, were still being used at the club almost six decades later.

"This reinforces the reason why part of our crowd funding project is to purchase new outdoor furniture, as well as new cricket nets, machinery for the groundsman and safe storage for it," she adds.

The members at the 212-year-old club have so far raised £10,000 towards a £30,000 online appeal to spruce up the ground where the main adult teams play in the Premier Division of the Birmingham and District Premier League. 

The next event will be a table top sale on Thursday(14) at the clubhouse at 6.30pm. To book a table email via walsallcricketclub@hotmail.com and pitches cost £5.

To donate to the appeal visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/walsall-cricket-club-fundraiser