Kent & Sussex Courier, Friday 9 June 1972.

OBITUARY.

Mrs. A. L. Featherstone, (Tonbridge.)

Mrs. Adah Lilian Featherstone, president of Kent County Women's Cricket Association and a director of H. S. Featherstone limited., the Tonbridge stationers and office equipment suppliers, died at her home on Tuesday last week. She was 82 and at a Kent v. Middlesex omen's cricket match at Benenden on Wednesday - the day of her funeral a flag was flown at half-mast.

Mrs. Featherstone was born at Aylesford near Maidstone, one of five children of Mr. and Mrs. William Beddow. When she was 10 years old, in 1900, her father took over the licence of the "Pottery Arms" at Aylesford and it remained in the family's possession until Wednesday of last week.

After working as a dressmakers she married Mr. Herbert Stanley Featherstone in Chelsea in 1919. He had emigrated to Australia in 1910 returning to Europe to serve with the Australian imperial forces. The couple went to Australia after their marriage and started an engineering firm there but Mrs. Featherstone became ill and they returned to England in 1922.

They went then went into business as newsagents at Wrotham, moving to Southborough in 1927 when they ran a stationary shop. In 1939 the couple returned to Wrotham to run a the newsagents again giving the business up in 1946. They then they took the business at 173 High Street which in those days was concerned with selling artist materials and picture framing an art Mr. Featherstone learned himself.

The business grew and in 1963 Mr. Featherstone retired and it became a limited company with Mrs Featherstone becoming a director. Until her death she continued working on the administration side of the business.

She lived over 173 High Street until last December when she moved into her son's new home at 1 Smythe Close, Southborough. Her husband died in October 1966.

The couple both enjoyed playing badminton but their main sporting interest was women's cricket. Together they formed the Wrotham Ladies' Cricket Club in 1944. Mrs. Featherstone playing for the team and Mr. Featherstone coaching. On losing their pitch, they moved the club to Tonbridge renaming it the Wrotham and Tonbridge Ladies' Cricket Club and its members playing regularly on the sports ground until it was forced to disband to a shortage of players early in 1966.

Mrs. Featherstone was also an active worker for women's cricket at a county-level, helping with the fundraising, publicity and "pulling strings" to find pitches for county games. County treasurer for some 10 years, she was made a vice president in 1963 and was elected president in 1965. She attended the 1971 annual meeting of the association towards the end of last year when she was for the seventh time elected to that office.

She is survived by a son and two grandsons. The funeral service was at Tonbridge parish church on Wednesday when family mourners were joined by friends from women's cricket. She was buried at Boxley, near Maidstone.