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Marie Janice Cornish OAM (née Lutschini; born 1 October 1956) is an Australian former cricketer who played as a right-arm off break bowler and right-handed batter. She appeared in nine Test matches and 16 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1976 and 1982. She was vice-captain of the national team and played in Australia's victorious teams at the 1978 and 1982 Women's Cricket World Cups. She played domestic cricket for New South Wales.

Personal life

Cornish was born Marie Janice Lutschini on 1 October 1956 in Wellington, New South Wales. She was the daughter of Peter and Jan Lutschini. Her paternal grandfather immigrated to Australia from the Soviet Union via Italy and Canada; his original Russian surname was Italianised. Her mother is of South African descent. Her brother Mitchell is a businessman in Papua New Guinea and has served as deputy chairman of Cricket PNG.

Cornish grew up in country New South Wales where her father worked as a farmhand. She spent her early years in Ivanhoe before the family settled in Wellington, where she attended Wellington High School.

Cricket career

From a young age Cornish played cricket on boys' teams. At the age of 15 she top-scored for the New South Wales Under-25s against New Zealand.

International career

Cornish made her international debut for Australia on a 1976 tour of the West Indies, aged 19. In the second Test of the series she took 5/51.

Named vice-captain of Australia at the age of 22, Cornish played at the 1978 World Cup in India and the 1982 in New Zealand. She was at the crease when the winning runs were scored in the 1982 World Cup final against England, finishing with 24 not out as Australia won by three wickets with one over to spare.

Personal life

Cornish retired from international cricket at the age of 25 to work full-time at the Commonwealth Bank. She had two children with her husband Peter, and remained involved in cricket as a coach, manager, and selector.

In 2008, Cornish was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to cricket and the Wellington community. She was named a life member of Cricket New South Wales in 2012 and the Marie Cornish Trophy is awarded to the winner of the state schoolgirls' knockout competition.

References

1. ^ "Players/Australia/Marie Cornish". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Inc. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
2. "Player Profile: Marie Cornish". CricketArchive. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
3. ^ Burnett, Adam (17 February 2020). "Queen of country: Marie Cornish and a story of survival". Cricket.com.au. Cricket Australia. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
4. ^ "Double medal family". Wellington Times. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
5. "Cornish's dedication leads to recognition". Daily Liberal. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links

• Marie Cornish at ESPNcricinfo
• Marie Cornish at CricketArchive (subscription required)
• Marie Cornish at southernstars.org.au

v t e Australia squad – 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup – Champions (1st title)
1 Jennings (c) 2 Bray 3 Cook 4 Farrell 5 Fitzsimmons 6 Hill 7 Hills 8 Lumsden 9 Lutschini 10 Robinson 11 Thompson 12 J. Tredrea 13 S. Tredrea Coach: Mitchell

v t e Australia squad – 1982 Women's Cricket World Cup – Champions (2nd title)
1 S. Tredrea (c) 2 Thompson (vc) 3 Albon 4 Alderman 5 Cornish 6 Fullston 7 Hill 8 Jacobs 9 Kennare 10 Plain 11 Read 12 Russell 13 White 14 Verco Coach: Mitchell

• Living people
• 1956 births
• Cricketers from New South Wales
• People from Wellington, New South Wales
• Australia women Test cricketers
• Australia women One Day International cricketers
• New South Wales Breakers cricketers
• Australian people of Russian descent
• Australian people of South African descent
• Sportspeople of South African descent
• 20th-century Australian sportswomen