Vera Mary Machell Cox (1885 â 1973) was an English hockey player who helped found the WomenâÂÂs Cricket Association and the International WomenâÂÂs Cricket Council, and held major roles in the WomenâÂÂs Institute and the WomenâÂÂs Land Army.
Born Veronica Mary Machell Cox, Vera played hockey for Kent, the East of England, and England between 1908 and 1912. She captained the team in 1912. After sustaining a knee injury in a 1912 fixture against Ireland, Cox returned to club hockey and served as a coach and umpire, umpiring for 30 international fixtures between 1914 and 1939. She also sat on several committees in the All England WomenâÂÂs Hockey Association.
In 1926, Cox became one of the founding members of the WomenâÂÂs Cricket Association (WCA). She served as the secretary of the first committee, chaired by Frances Heron-Maxwell. She helped establish the first womenâÂÂs international Test match between England and Australia in 1934 with her friend Elsie Bennett, another former hockey player. Cox then became President of the WCA, during which time she contributed to the formation of the International WomenâÂÂs Cricket Council, comprising former Commonwealth lands including England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. She stepped down in 1964.
Cox served as the first national Markets Organiser for the National Federation of WomenâÂÂs Institutes from 1932, and helped establish hundreds of markets for WomenâÂÂs Institute members to sell surplus produce.
She served as County Secretary for the West Kent WomenâÂÂs Land Army during World War II, for which she was awarded an MBE in 1946.
Cox lived with Patrick and Frances Heron-Maxwell, whom she had met through hockey playing in 1908, from 1919. On Francesâ death in 1955 she inherited their estate, Great Comp, and sold it the following year. She died in 1973 in Scotland.