Academy pay for England' s poor 2015

England have named their three winter training squads, which include a total of 55 players ranging from 35 year old Charlotte Edwards down to 15 year old Rhianna Southby. The three squads are the England Women's Performance Squad (EWPS), the England Women's Academy (EWA) and the England Women's Development Programme (EWDP) (which used to be U19s, but now appears to have no age restriction).

Despite a poor 2015 for England (both in New Zealand and at home in the Ashes) the only change from last year's EWPS is the dropping of Notts' Sonia Odedra, who, after the EWA tour to Dubai, played no further part in England or England Academy games during the summer. All 18 contracted players remain, with Jodie Dibble, Beth Langston and Fran Wilson again expected to train at the same level without payment. There are no additions from the Academy, although with eight of the 18 contracted players wintering in Australia there should be some opportunities for the Academy players to be called up to train with the EWPS. The ECB have also confirmed that the current England contracts will now continue until the end of January 2016, although an announcement on new contracts will apparently be made before the end of 2015. Given the lack of movement into the main squad it seems unlikely there will be many surprises. England either have great faith in what they have or they are not impressed by what is coming through?

But in the Academy four players have lost their places - Aylish Cranstone, Georgia Hennessy, Paige Scholfield and Carla Rudd, with five girls promoted from last year's EWDP U19s - Sophia Dunkley (opening bat/leg spinner), Sophie Ecclestone (left-arm spinner), Katie George (left-arm seamer), Bryony Smith (hard-hitting top order bat) and Ellie Threlkeld (wicket-keeper bat). In addition Sussex's 17 year old Ellen Burt (right-am seamer/ middle order bat) has been added into the Academy after a good season with her county at U17 and senior level, and in the rain-affected Junior Super 3s in August.

In addition the Academy have also lost their Head Coach Lisa Keightley, who has decided to return to her native Australia. High Performance Manager Jonathan Finch steps into the role for the time being, although I understand that the ECB hope to make a new appointment early in the new year.

In the EWDP eight girls lose their places for 2015/2016, but coming in are Megan Belt, Izzy Cloke, Alice Dyson, Emily Edgcombe, Tiarna Gilkes, Sarah Glenn, Lucy Higham, Rhianna Southby and twins Erin and Lucy Staunton-Turner. Most of those that have been omitted are 18 and 19 and most of those that have been brought in are two or three years younger.

The full squads are:-

England Women's Performance Squad
Tammy Beaumont
Katherine Brunt
Kate Cross
Jodie Dibble
Charlotte Edwards
Georgia Elwiss
Tash Farrant
Lydia Greenway
Rebecca Grundy
Jenny Gunn
Danielle Hazell
Amy Jones
Heather Knight
Beth Langston
Laura Marsh
Nat Sciver
Anya Shrubsole
Sarah Taylor
Fran Wilson
Lauren Winfield
Danielle Wyatt

England Women's Academy
Georgia Adams
Hollie Armitage
Ellen Burt
Steph Butler
Freya Davies
Sophia Dunkley
Sophie Ecclestone
Katie George
Alex Hartley
Evelyn Jones
Emma Lamb
Sophie Luff
Alex Macdonald
Bryony Smith
Eleanor Threlkeld

England Women's Development Programme
Emily Arlott
Megan Belt
Maia Bouchier
Georgie Boyce
Izzy Cloke
Izzy Collis
Alice Dyson
Emily Edgcombe
Tiarna Gilkes
Sarah Glenn
Cordelia Griffith
Lucy Higham
Hannah Jones
Sophie Mackenzie
Anna Nicholls
Tara Norris
Rhianna Southby
Erin Staunton-Turner
Lucy Staunton-Turner

MD
22/IX/15

England's Winter Training Squads in full

England have now named all their Winter Training Squads for 2013/2014 - u15, u19, Academy and Performance, and the full lists appear below.

Lancashire can claim the most England players with 11 (including five at u15 and five at u19), Sussex have nine, Yorkshire eight, Kent and Devon six each and Warwickshire five. It is good to see some of the counties outside of Division One of the Women's County Championship have representatives, particularly at the u15 level, including Cheshire (2), Gloucester (2), Staffs, Shropshire, Hampshire, Herts, Derbyshire and Cornwall.

Performance (21)
Charlotte Edwards - Kent
Tammy Beaumont - Kent
Arran Brindle - Sussex
Katherine Brunt - Yorkshire
Holly Colvin - Sussex - has decided to take a break from cricket
Kate Cross - Lancashire
Georgia Elwiss - Sussex
Tash Farrant - Kent
Lydia Greenway - Kent
Jenny Gunn - Notts
Dani Hazell - Yorkshire
Amy Jones - Warwickshire
Heather Knight - Berkshire
Beth Langston - Essex
Laura Marsh - Kent
Nat Sciver - Surrey
Anya Shrubsole - Somerset
Sarah Taylor - Sussex
Fran Wilson - Somerset
Lauren Winfield - Yorkshire
Danni Wyatt - Notts

Academy (12)
Amara Carr - Devon
Stephanie Butler - Staffordshire
Jodie Dibble - Devon
Freya Davies - Sussex
Cordelia Griffith - Essex
Rebecca Grundy - Warwickshire - promoted to Performance Squad after Holly Colvin's withdrawal
Georgia Hennessy - Warwickshire
Alex McDonald - Gloucestershire
Sonia Odedra - Notts
Susie Rowe - Surrey - has given up her place
Helen Shipman - Warwickshire
Jess Watson - Yorkshire
Sophie Luff - Somerset (added after U19 tour to South Africa)
Carla Rudd - Berkshire (added after U19 tour to South Africa)


U19 (21)
Hollie Armitage - Yorkshire
Izzy Collis - Sussex
Rachel Dickinson - Lancashire
Bhumika Doshi - Lancashire
Beatrice Firth - Yorkshire
Abigail Freeborn - Sussex
Grace Gibbs - Kent
Lydia Harris - Devon
Georgia Holmes - Lancashire
Hannah Jones - Surrey
Alli Kelly - Devon
Marie Kelly - Warwickshire
Emma Lamb - Lancashire
Anne Nicholls - Middlesex
Tara Norris - Sussex
Kennedy Nuttall - Yorkshire
Cait O'Keefe - Devon
Charlotte Pape - Kent
Nalisha Patel - Lancashire
Lily Reynolds - Essex
Paige Scholfield - Sussex


U15 (22)
Emma Albery - Hertfordshire
Eve Alder -Gloucestershire
Maia Bouchier - Middlesex
Georgia Boyce - Notts
Cassie Coombes - Somerset
Sophie Ecclestone - Cheshire
Katie George -Hampshire
Kate Green - Shropshire
Anna Harris - Sussex
Bess Heath - Derbyshire
Hannah Jones - Lancashire
Jessie Jones - Devon
Sophie Mackenzie - Cornwall
Ellie Mason - Cheshire
Rebecca Newark - Yorkshire
Shatchi Pai - Lancashire
Hannah Poulter - Yorkshire
Karla Rose - Somerset
Jessica Kate Thornton - Wales
Eleanor Threlkeld - Lancashire
Erin Staunton-Turner - Lancashire
Lucy Staunton-Turner - Lancashire

Congratulations to all concerned.

MD
04/X/13