Davidson-Richards and Cloke in England Academy squads
Thursday 3rd November 2016
Alice Davidson-Richards and Izzy Cloke have been called up to England Women's development squads this winter.
The Tunbridge Wells duo will train at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough for the Senior Women's Academy and Women's Academy respectively.
All-rounder Davidson-Richards, 22, was ever-present in Kent's double-winning 2016 squad and seamer Cloke, 16, who made her senior debut in a T20 double-header at Arundel earlier this year.
Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “The pinnacle for any talented, aspiring young cricketer is to play and win matches for England, and through the England Women’s Pathway we believe that we are developing a structure to support their journey.
“The introduction of the six new Regional Development Centres helps us to significantly broaden the talent pool that we are working with at the base of the pathway, and without any age constraints, we can take a broader and extended view of a young player’s potential.
“From there, the England Women’s Academy and England Women’s Senior Academy are in place to help bridge the gap to international cricket, developing players with the skills needed on and off the field to perform for England.
"In Salliann Briggs and John Stanworth we have two superb Head Coaches for these programmes. John brings a wealth of experience in developing high potential players from his role as Lancashire Academy Director for over ten years, and I am delighted to welcome him to this new role.
“It’s important to note that the four stages of the pathway are not seen as detached programmes. We understand that players develop at different rates, and there is an element of flexibility running through this.
"So whilst a player might be initially included in one squad, this is not set in stone – we want players to be constantly challenging and vying to make the next step towards wearing an England shirt.”