Former Australian Test cricket captain Raelee Thompson (left) when she was inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
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Megan Fisher
Forty years on from captaining Australia to a drought-breaking Ashes series victory, Shepparton-born women’s cricket pioneer Raelee Thompson has been awarded one of the country’s highest honours.
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It was made official on Australia Day weekend that Thompson would become a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant contribution to cricket as a player, coach and administrator.
Speaking to The News, Thompson said she was filled with pride over the announcement.
“I must admit I was really chuffed about it,” Thompson said.
“(It was a) complete surprise.”
Thompson was born in 1945 and grew up in Shepparton. It was here that she developed her passion for the game of cricket listening to Test matches on her radio.
Revered Australian Test captain Richie Benaud was a hero of hers, but Thompson modelled her game on fast bowlers.
Given there were no official cricket competitions for women or girls in the Goulburn Valley at the time, Thompson said the schoolyard was the only place she could practise her right-arm rockets.
“It was just a sport we played at high school,” she said.
“Leave high school, leave cricket, that happened in my case anyway.”
Thompson would go on to represent the Victorian state cricket side 45 times and throughout the 1970 and ’80s she became an integral member of the Australian women’s Test cricket side.
During the 1984-85 Ashes tour of Australia, Thompson was handed the reins of captaincy after her fast-bowling compatriot and captain-at-the-time Sharon Tredrea went down with an Achilles injury in the first Test.
Thompson led Australia for the next four Test matches as the home side claimed a famous series victory.
It was the first time Australia had beaten England in a Test since 1951 and the first time the Aussies had defeated their sworn enemies in a series since 1948-49.
During the fifth and deciding Test in Bendigo, Thompson produced an important and iconic effort for her nation.
With the series tied at one apiece, Thompson took 5-33 (a career-best) to lead her nation to victory.
Thompson would finish her international playing career a few weeks later with 16 Tests (57 wickets) and 23 one-dayers (24 wickets and a high score of 50*).
Raelee Thompson fires off a delivery as former Australian cricketer Jeff Thomson waits to run during a promotional game in Brisbane in the 1980s.
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Contributed
Following the end of her playing days, Thompson went on to become a national and state selector.
She also the coach of the Essendon Maribyrnong Park Ladies Cricket Club.
The list of accolades Thompson has received makes for long reading as she is an honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club in London and Cricket Victoria and part of Cricket Shepparton’s Team of the Century.
Thompson has been inducted into the Victoria Police Sporting Hall of Fame and the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
However, one induction — likely until receiving an OAM — remains Thompson’s greatest honour.
“One (highlight) would be getting into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame,” she said.
“We didn’t have (a large ceremony) to be honest because it was the middle of COVID.
“I was presented with it at a cricket game up in Canberra at Manuka.”
The growth in women’s and girls’ cricket since Thompson was last bowling yorkers at the Poms has been near-astronomical.
Some 86,174 people attended the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final between Australia and India in 2020 at the MCG.
Meanwhile, women’s professional cricket continues to develop, with leagues such as the Women’s Big Bash League (Australia) and Women’s Premier League (India).
Forty years on from Thompson’s famous Ashes victory and the two nations are once again in the middle of a duel.
A stand-alone Test match will be the final game of this summer’s Ashes — which Australia has already retained — and will be held at the MCG from January 30 to February 2.
Thompson said she couldn’t wait to watch her former team play live at the famous ground.
“The day-night Test starts in Melbourne on Thursday next week and I really am looking forward to the first day,” she said.
“I think there will be a lot of people there, not the 86,000 that were there for the World Cup, but I think it will be well attended.”
The form Test captain remains a passionate fan of the sport and continues to assist junior cricketers at Essendon Maribyrnong Park — where she said she was excited by lots of young talent.
Thompson’s undying passion, talent as an athlete and impact as a cricketer make it easy to see why the former Goulburn Valley resident is a worthy Member of the Order of Australia.
