Major urged to remove "stench of decadence"

Gorman said the cricket-loving ex-Prime Minister was the only person with the authority, skill and knowledge to root out the “Neanderthal” management at Lord’s.

“What we now have is the stench of decadence at Lord’s… I cannot imagine why any self-respecting woman wants to be involved with these troglodytes who treat them like serving wenches, call them `dykes’, and use them for their own purposes.”

Theresa Harrild, 32, told an industrial tribunal that Lord’s paid 400 pounds for her to have an abortion when she was made pregnant by one of its bosses. But after having the termination she was sacked anyway.

Lord’s is theheadquarters of the Marlyebone Cricket Club, considered the foremost cricket body, and recently voted to remain a strictly male enclave. Harrild told the hearing that misogyny ran so deep that women cricketers were labelled “dykes and lesbians” whose only use was to pull in national lottery money.

The tribunal unanimously accepted her version of events and backed her claim of sexual discrimination against the English cricket board. Written ruling and damages, which could amount to more than 10,000 pounds will be announced later.

The tribunal found that the cricket board had regarded her job as menial in comparison with the career of her boyfriend, whom Harrild refused to name, and considered her an embarrassment.

The board denied all her allegations, but did not attend the hearing. It issued a statement later saying it was “committed to delivering equality” across the game. It is preposterous to suggest that the kind of culture portrayed would exist. Chief executive Tim Lamb, branded a sexist and abully by Harrild, denied Lord’s had paid for her abortion. The English Women’s Cricket Association came to the board’s defence saying its members had played at Lord’s many times and had always been made to feel very welcome. Gorman said: “Cricket was always supposed to be a game for gentleman. Now we know they are not gentlemen, but cads and bounders. This is a classic case of Victorian behaviour where a woman gets a bun in the oven and is virtually ordered to have it removed.”

Cricket-loving Labour MP John Cryer also called for the removal of “large chunks of the cricketing establishment” following the tribunal ruling.“We have seen a steady decline in cricket in this country since the 1960s and I think this is partly because the ruling establishment in the sport is steeped in the old boy network and in public school attitudes.”