Kent women named in England winter squads

Several of Kent's women cricketers are included in theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) winter training squads.

The elite England Women's Performance Squad (EWPS) include Kent's Tammy Beaumont, Charlotte Edwards, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway and Laura Marsh.

Isobel Cloke and Jess Golden were also named in Development Programme Under-15 set-up.

With some members of the performance squad playing in Australia for the first half of the winter, head of England Women's performance Paul Shaw and the selectors will also give opportunities to targeted academy players to train with the EWPS prior to Christmas.

The squads will attend a series of winter training camps at the National Cricket Performance Centre (NCPC) in Loughborough.

Head of England Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “The ground-breaking decision by the ECB Board to award 18 contracts to England women’s players was clearly significant for those individuals involved.

"However it alsosignalledthe dawning of a fully professional era giving players on theEngland women’spathway a very exciting goal to which they can aspire and work towards.

“The scope of opportunities now available totalentedyoung female cricketers is greater than ever, and the winter training programmes that will be delivered over the next six months are pioneering in the global women’s game."

England women will next be in action in February 2015 when they will travel to New Zealand to play a five match One-Day International series and three match International Twenty20 series against the White Ferns.

TheEngland women’s touring party for this tour will be announced in the New Year.