Changes to the Girl’s Talent Pathway

Kent Cricket are looking to make some changes to the Girl’s Talent Pathway, with effect from the start of County Trials for the 2021-22 season.

Reflecting the ECB recommendations, the new pathway will see two squads at Under 11, placed into two North & South regions, and a larger but single squad at 15’s and 18’s performance level. The 13’s Performance and Red Caps squads will remain unchanged.

At the U11 level, there is a real emphasis on reducing travel time for match play, keeping a wide pool of players and maximising resources e.g. intra County match play. With a more regional focus, we aim to achieve this with plenty of inter-squad matchplay between the two squads.

With the U15 and U18 squads, they will participate in the National Competition and will be single yet larger squads as player commitments to the Region and elsewhere means squad depth becomes more relevant for giving appropriate county opportunity to players.

We will also have some changes to personnel as David Sear and Craig Bolton take a well earned rest in retirement and Ladi Sonaike and Henry Cupitt take on new challenges in other countries. We thank them all wholeheartedly for their efforts in the girl’s pathway.

Joining the pathway this season we have Robbie Gunn at the 15’s, Bim Gajjar at the 13’s and Dan Bygrave at the 11’s. Robbie, as director of his own coaching company, has been coaching in various environments in and around London, ranging from grassroots programs in state schools and colleges to working with academy level and contracted players. Bim is currently the Chairman of Capel Cricket Club in Tonbridge and has been busying himself both coaching directly but also overseeing all junior and senior cricket coaching for the club, plus the formation of a new women’s section. Dan is a lead coach at Bexley Cricket Club and has vast coaching experience in schools and within Performance Area cricket too. We look forward to working with them and welcome them to the Kent Cricket team.