Jan Brittin was one of England’s greatest women cricketers, with records galore in Tests and ODIs. Her Wisden obituary in 2018 celebrated a great talent.
Brittin, Janette Ann, MBE, died on September 11, 2017, aged 58.
There was much more to the gilded career of Jan Brittin than the statistics that identify her as one of the greats of the women’s game. Team-mates held her in awe, and opponents were often lost in admiration for her relaxed, classical technique. “I loved watching her bat – even when she was getting runs against us,” said the former New Zealand captain Debbie Hockley. Brittin’s 19-year England career – 1979 to 1998 – bridged two distinct eras: in her first Test, Rachael Heyhoe Flint was a team-mate; in her final series, she opened with Charlotte Edwards.
Although Brittin scored high marks for artistic impression, it did not compromise her competitiveness. “She looked after herself, when the rest of us were happy to eat rubbish and have a few drinks,” said England team-mate Jackie Court. “She was a professional in an amateur era.” Brittin held two records that, given the reduction in women’s Tests, may never be beaten. She is the leading scorer in the format, with 1,935 runs at just under 50 in 27 matches, and the leading centurion, with five. She made 2,121 runs at 42 in 63 one-day internationals, also with five hundreds.
And she was a magnificent fielder. “She was a wonderful athlete,” said Enid Bakewell. “She would field at mid-off or cover and nobody ever took a run to her. She watched the angle of the bat intently to see where the ball would go.” Her electric work led to a landmark moment: because her legs were so often grazed and bloody from sliding stops or diving catches, it was decided to switch from skirts to trousers.
Brittin’s valedictory season in 1998 was a personal triumph. In three drawn Ashes Tests she scored 450 runs at 112, including 146 at Guildford and 167 at Harrogate, batting more than 24 hours in all. After that she concentrated on her golf handicap, coaching at her former county Surrey, and beginning a new career in teaching, after working for British Airways for most of her cricket career. “For girls of my generation she was our first female role model,” said the former England captain Clare Connor. “She was so beautiful to watch.”
