Chris Guest named as England Women U19 performance lead

Chris Guest , head coach of The Blaze, has been appointed as England Women's U19 Performance Lead.

Guest, 40, spent three years as head coach of Loughborough Lightning, and latterly The Blaze following the region's move to Nottinghamshire in 2022, and guided the team to victory in this season's Charlotte Edwards Cup.

Alongside his regional commitments, he also led the England Women U19 World Cup programme as head coach in 2023, as well as the U19 tri-series between Sri Lanka, England and Australia earlier this year.

He has also served as assistant coach at Northern Superchargers during the previous three editions of The Hundred.

Guest's new role will incorporate a coaching role, including overseeing the U19 Women's T20 World Cup in Malaysia next year, while also leading on talent identification from the academy and senior programmes, which will feed into England's U19 activity.

Guest previously worked in ECB pathway coaching at both Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

"The pride and excitement of wearing the Three Lions over 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 massive part of my development and I wish them every success in the future.

Richard Bedbrook, the head of England Women Performance Pathways, said: "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 programmes and systems in a positive way."

Director of England Women's Cricket, Jonathan Finch, added: "The ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup provides fantastic opportunities for our young talent to experience tournament match play against their peers from other countries.

"Chris's appointment allows us to build on those experiences, through closer relationships with the counties, to enhance the support the players get at this age group.

"Chris brings a wealth of experience from the women's domestic game and will play a key role in shaping the experiences young players have on their journey to international cricket."