They faced backlash from some who thought they should stay at home, where the patriarchy wanted them.

It shamed the top-scoring star of the match, Barbara Rae, into avoiding the dinner thrown in the 22 players' honor.

Now, 150 years later, her great-granddaughter has stuck it to the haters by accepting a commemorative bat at a match honouring Australia's first female cricketers.

Diane Robertson accepted the replica bat from Cricket Australia before Bendigo and Ballarat's current top female cricketers faced off for a commemorative Good Friday match at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.

There was more than one family connection for Ms Robertson.

While the Blues - wearing dresses with blue jackets - were captained by her great-grandmother Barbara Rae, the Reds - wearing red jackets - were captained by Emily Rae who was Barbara's stepmother.

Both were trailblazers who battled attacks from sections of the press that labeled the 1874 match an "unwomanly exhibition on a public holiday".

The cricketers at that first match have now been lionised in a new exhibition by the Bendigo Historical Society, which is co-opting an 1874 slag from the Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser.

That newspaper tried to dismiss the 22 trailblazing women Bendigo cricketers who played that match as "frisky matrons and forward spinsters".

The historical society was able to create the exhibition thanks largely to the work of author Louise Zedda-Sampson to unearth the story.

Ms Zedda-Sampson wrote about these pioneering athletes in her book Bowl The Maidens Over.

"Without the sprit, resilience, and endurance of our pioneering sportswomen, we would not be where we are today," she said.

"In 1874, women needed permission to play 'male-only' sports.

"Now, 150 years later, Australia's women cricketers draw almost record-breaking crowds.

"These difficult first endeavours in Bendigo gave others the courage to continue their fight for rights on the sporting field."

Good Friday started with a special girls' cricket clinic before the representative T20 match saw the two teams took to the grounds.

Amy Tomic and Aimee Parry showed off the 1874 costumes as they rode around the oval in a horse-drawn carriage - giving spectators and players alike an idea of how challenging the traditional game was for women.

These costumes and other memorabilia can be viewed at the Bendigo Historical Society community museum.

Beautiful objects such as Bendigo Easter Fair pins, cricket belt buckets and other cricket paraphernalia loaned especially for this exhibition from private collectors will be on display, many for the first time at 11 MacKenzie Street, Bendigo from Good Friday until Saturday June 15.