Eileen Ash, an English cricket legend, has died. She was 110.
On Saturday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced her death in asocial media statement.
“The thoughts of everyone at the ECB are with the family and loved ones of Eileen Ash, who has died aged 110,” the organization wrote alongside a photograph of the sports star. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Ash, a right-arm seamer, previously made her Test debut against Australia in 1937,The Independentreported. She then made several other appearances for England before playing her last game against New Zealand in Auckland in March 1949.
The supercentenarian celebrated her 110th birthday earlier this year in October. There, Ash revealed to theNorwich Evening Newsthe secret to her long life: “Being happy and smiling a lot, red wine, and keeping fit with yoga!”
After news of her death was made public, many who knew Ash paid tribute to her with reflective messages, including ECB managing director of women’s cricket,Clare Connor.
“[England captain] Heather [Knight] and I went to visit Eileen about six months before the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup — she was 105 at the time — and it was one of the most remarkable experiences,” she continued. “Eileen taught Heather yoga, we played snooker, we drank cups of tea, and we leafed through newspapers and scrapbooks celebrating Eileen’s time as a player in the 1930s and 1940s.”
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“Our thoughts and prayers are with Eileen’s family as they come to terms with losing such a wonderful woman and the end of an astonishing life,” Connor added.
source: people.com
