Blaze’s head coach Chris Guest has been named the England Women’s U19 Performance Lead. Guest led the Loughborough Lightning latterly the Blaze following the region’s move to Nottinghamshire to victory in the Charlotte Edwards Cup this season during his three years as head coach.
In addition to his regional responsibilities, he oversaw the England Women U19 World Cup campaign in 2023 and earlier this year’s U19 tri-series between Sri Lanka, England, and Australia as head coach. In the last three iterations of The Hundred, he was also the Northern Superchargers’ assistant coach.
In addition to managing the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia next year, Guest’s new position will involve teaching. It will also involve spearheading the process of identifying potential from senior programs and the academy, which will benefit England’s U19 efforts.
“The pride and excitement of wearing the Three Lions over the last few years has been immense and to be able to do so in this new role is an incredible feeling,” Guest said. “With the growth of the women’s game, it’s a privilege to take on this role as it will focus on ensuring our young cricketers get the cricket they need at the right time which I am extremely passionate about.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Blaze. It’s a great place to work and has been a massive part of my development and I wish them every success in the future.
The director of England Women Performance Pathways, Richard Bedbrook, stated, “We are delighted to have Chris on board. “He has vast experience in the women’s game, strong relationships with and knowledge of all our domestic teams and this new full-time role will allow him to help shape the development of our highest potential players in a collaborative fashion before, during, and after any international U19 activity.
“His qualities have hugely affected the previous England Women U19 environments and we are all looking forward to his inspirational methods influencing future programs and systems in a positive way.”
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