On February 16 1935, Betty Snowball (or “Batty” Snowball, as I’d no doubt have called her if I’d been writing a blog back in 1935!) broke a record that had been in the books for 43 days – the highest ever score by an English woman cricketer. Snowball made 189 in England’s first innings of the only Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, overtaking the 119 made by Myrtle Maclagan against Australia in Sydney a few weeks previously.

It would be a record that would stand for over 88 years – though she lived into her eighties, Snowball herself, who died in 1988, never saw it beaten.

But today at Trent Bridge… 32,270 days later… Tammy Beaumont finally eclipsed Snowball’s innings, making 208 off 331 balls as England posted 463 all out in reply to Australia’s 473.

And you can’t argue Beaumont didn’t do it the hard way either. Snowball’s 189 was made against a novice New Zealand side playing their first ever Test, who had been bowled out for 44 (yes – four-four!) in just under 30 overs that morning.

Beaumont’s was made against the mighty Australia – arguably the most dominant team cricket has ever seen – in front of a crowd that likely surpassed another pretty old record. We don’t have exact figures yet, but the attendance at Trent Bridge today almost certainly took this match past the 72-year-old mark of 15,000 for the highest ever aggregate attendance at a women’s Test in England, set in 1951.

England began the day on 218-2, with plenty of wickets in hand, but still 255 runs behind – an Everest to climb. Realistically, their best-case scenario was to match Australia’s run rate and try to draw somewhere close to their 1st innings total of 473 some time in the evening session. And that they did – bowled out 10 runs behind. Another 11 runs would have been nice, just to be able to say the words “first innings lead”, but in the context of the game it is probably irrelevant.

TB will rightly get the headlines (Raf will be kicking herself she didn’t get to do the Sky Sports ‘Back Pages’ slot tonight rather than last night, when it was mostly (men’s) football transfer gossip and Frankie Dettori) and within half an hour Kent had issued a press release about “Kent Women Captain Tammy Beaumont”, even though she hasn’t actually played for them for quite some years!

But she couldn’t have done it without the support of a few others in the lineup. It was a bit of a case of: good, bad, good, bad, by turns. Nat Sciver looked nailed-on for a hundred of her own before nicking one to Healy whilst Sophia Dunkley really struggled – almost as if the coaches had given her mixed messages about how to play – and basically just clung on for 50 balls.

Danni Wyatt had said before the game that her instructions were to play the way she always does, and so she did, making a swift (by Test standards) 44. Amy Jones played a couple of nice shots, and then got out in such an Amy Jones way that if it had been anyone else, Amy Jones would have sued her for breach of copyright.

Sophie Ecclestone chipped in; Kate Cross didn’t (no shade – she isn’t really expected to); Lauren Filer had a bit of fun – the only player in the match so far to finish with a strike rate over 100, for her 11 off 10; before Lauren Bell came to the crease at No. 11, whereupon Tammy decided she might as well have a swish at that point, and… as they say… the rest is history – literally!

This left England with 19 overs to have a pop at Australia, with their batters tired after a long, hot day in the field, and England’s quick bowlers well-rested and hopefully chomping at the bit to get stuck in.

But… they kinda didn’t.

A year on from their travails against South Africa’s left-handers (remembering Tumi Sekhukhune’s 130-ball marathon in the second innings at Taunton) they still don’t seem to have a plan for Beth Mooney – at least, not one that is in any way effective – two slips and two gullies might be funky, but it wasn’t functional. If only someone could have predicted that Australia would open the batting with a left-hander… or even two!

There was apparently a suggestion on comms that England were deliberately engaging in a bit of 80s-style declaration bowling to allow Australia to pile on enough runs to feel able to give England a crack, but I don’t buy it: it might have made sense if this was a 4-day game, but with two days left? Surely not!

Occam’s razor suggests a simpler explanation – England just weren’t very good, and let Australia off the hook, such as it was, extending their lead to 92 with 10 wickets in hand. Their only hope now looks to be that either the pitch starts to misbehave… and even then, they still have to bat last on it, with Alana King already starting to find some significant turn with the odd ball today.

More likely, Australia will bat England out of the match tomorrow, and then try to bowl them out on Day 5 to take the win, and almost certainly the Ashes too. England are now playing for a draw. And I wouldn’t put my money on them getting it.