India, Nov. 14 -- "The greatest cricket match that was played in this part of England was on Friday, the 26th of last month, on Gosden Common, near Guildford, between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon, all dressed in white. The Bramley maids had blue ribbons and the Hambledon maids red ribbons on their heads. The girls bowled, batted, ran and catched as well as most men could do in that game."

- Weekly newspaper Reading Mercury; August 26, 1745

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The march for equal rights and recognition for women has been longer than it ever should have been.

Today there is universal suffrage, fan following in sport, megastar status in music and film, there are corporate leaders and world leaders, but the battle for parity contin...