When the late Mabel Gaunt was cremated today, with her were her prize possessions - her cricket bat, box of dominoes and pack of cards.

A pioneer in women's cricket, Mrs Gaunt played for Bradford League and Yorkshire in the 1920s.

She died of a heart attack last Wednesday at St Luke's Hospital, Bradford. She was 91.

Her coffin was adorned with one single white rose to symbolise Yorkshire, her cricket bat and her favourite flowers - red roses.

Her only son, Mike, accountant and former Bradford councillor, said: "Her cricket bat will go with her - she'll need it up there. And inside the coffin I've put a set of dominoes, pack of cards and a handbag full of two-penny pieces so she can play dominoes or whist for tuppence a corner."

Mrs Gaunt also played water polo for the city and was keen to interest her son in sport from an early age.

"She used to take me to watch cricket when I was just a toddler and took me to meet Freddie Trueman when I was about ten," said Mr Gaunt.

"She also taught me to swim at the Windsor Baths when I was just four and would take me to the lido in Lister Park."

From a sporting family, her cousin Jack Senior, 82, was shortlisted in the T&A's Bradford's Best awards for his outstanding service to amateur rugby.

"She lived in an era when women and girls were almost unacceptable in sport - in those days it was a tremendous achievement to do what she did," said Mr Senior.

"Mabel was a lovely person, she was really outgoing in every way.

"She had a great sense of humour and she always looked after herself.

"She kept us all laughing and had all her faculties there, right to the end. She was a very nice person and would help anybody."

Mrs Gaunt lived most of her life in Thornbury and spent the last 12 years at Silverlea Nursing Home, Bradford Moor.

"Throughout her life she closely followed sport, especially cricket. She was full of life and loved a game of dominoes - she outlived eight partners at the nursing home."

Mrs Gaunt, nee Stanley, was one of two daughters to Florence and Thomas Stanley.

Born in Bradford in 1908, she grew up in Thornbury, and at the age of four the family moved to America where her father worked was an engineer for the Henry Ford factory for about four years.

When she returned to Bradford, Mrs Gaunt ran the family business, Stanleys bakers and confectioners in Moor Avenue, Great Horton Road, from the age of 16 until she married Austin Gaunt, a printer's assistant in 1946.

Her funeral was held at St Margaret's Church, Thornbury, and afterwards at Scholemoor crematorium, Necropolis Road, Bradford.

She leaves her son, Mike, two grandsons, and a two-year-old great-granddaughter.

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