Wine, Yoga Secret to English Cricketer's Longevity

An English woman cricketer who made her Test debut in 1937 says a daily dose of two glasses of red wine are one reason she is hale and hearty as she approaches her 105th birthday.

Eileen Ash -- who has seen 23 British prime ministers come and go and been ruled by four different monarchs -- is believed to be the oldest surviving Test cricketer, having played her last game for England in 1949.

However, Ash -- who still drives what she terms the second love of her life, a yellow Mini, despite never taking a test -- is phlegmatic about her age.

"I'd like to know when I'm going to be old. Do you think it will be when I'm 105?" she said ahead of the milestone on Sunday.

She said that in addition to her daily glass or two of wine, yoga had definitely played a part in her staying fit and healthy.

"Yoga helps your brain and muscles," she told the BBC. "My muscles don't ache yet, maybe they will when I get older!"

Ash, who played seven Tests when known as Eileen Whelan culminating in a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1948/49, told the Daily Mail last year why she had fallen for the Mini.

"Cricket is the love of my life and the Mini is the second. I owned four Minis -- I like a small car. It's speedy and the acceleration is good and it does stand out from the crowd.

"People often say to me, 'You're the lady that drives the yellow Mini!' If I couldn't drive a car I think I'd like a motorbike."