Book excerpt: Despite what happened at Lord's in 2019, New Zealand has won a Cricket World Cup. It was at Lincoln in December 2000 that New Zealand beat Australia to win the Women's World Cup. The first recorded cricket match in New Zealand between teams of women had been played in the Wairarapa as long ago as 1867 and the New Zealand women played their first Test match in 1935. In 2014 Debbie Hockley became the second New Zealander after Sir Richard Hadlee to be inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame.This is the story of women's cricket in New Zealand, from its earliest humble origins to its glory days on the international stage. It is also the story of the women who have come to be recognised amongst the very best in the world at their sport. It is the story of a game played for the sheer love of it, and of the hard work of the dedicated souls who built and sustained women's cricket, often in the face of challenge and adversity. Most of all it is the story of every woman who relished the warm sun on her face as she enjoyed the