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Crossing the Generations with a Trailblazer

By Trevor Auger - Republished from Outright 61


More than 50 years after helping New Zealand make history on the cricket field, Lynda Prichard continues to break new ground.


In 1972, Prichard was part of the New Zealand women’s team that recorded its first Test victory over Australia in Melbourne.


Her second innings 66 played an important role in that historic win, and just a few weeks later she was part of another New Zealand Test victory, this time against South Africa.

A year later, women’s cricket took another major step forward with the inaugural Women’s Cricket World Cup in England. Lynda was there too, playing in New Zealand’s first women’s One Day International and top-scoring with 70 in a victory over Trinidad and Tobago.


More than half a century later, her trailblazing has continued.


In October 2025, Lynda became the first woman elected President of Auckland Cricket, adding another milestone to a lifetime of involvement in the game.


Then in December came another historic honour when Lynda and her late mentor Rona McKenzie became the first women inducted into the newly established Auckland Cricket Hall of Fame.


The occasion brought together family, friends and cricketers from across different generations, including members of Auckland and New Zealand women’s cricket teams who have followed in the footsteps of pioneers such as Lynda and Rona.


It was a fitting celebration of a woman whose contribution to cricket has extended well beyond her playing career, and who remains a passionate advocate for the women’s game and Auckland cricket.


In Outright 61, writer Trevor Auger looks back on Lynda’s remarkable journey and a special occasion that connected some of the earliest pioneers of New Zealand women’s cricket with the generations that followed.


Read “Crossing the Generations with a Trailblazer” by Trevor Auger in Outright 61.


 
 
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