Ex England and Staffordshire Laura Newton believes it maybe tough for Staffordshire this season in division two

Ex England and Staffordshire player Laura Newton, believes the Staffordshire Women’s first team will have a tough season ahead of them but have the capabilities to have a successful year.

Newton played for Staffordshire in 2002 and now is Women’s Regional Cricket Development Manager for the West Midlands, which sees her support and challenge counties on their governance and provisions of Women’s and Girls’ cricket.

The 34 year old said: “The structure has changed this coming season with bigger divisions and a focus on every game mattering (no home and away fixtures).

“Staffs will be playing against a number of teams that were in the higher division last season so there will be some tough games.  Counties’ standards improve year on year and if the players have put in the hard work over the winter they should reap the rewards in the summer.”

Staffordshire got promoted into division two last season and will be looking to England international Danni Wyatt and Australian international Ellyse Villani for the experience they will need, but Newton insists it’s not totally down to them.

She continued: “Danni (Wyatt) has the potential to be a match winner every game, with the bat, ball or in the field.  She requires the assistance of her team and will sometimes not come up to her or the team’s expectations, so it is important they all play for each other and take responsibility for their roles.  Elyse, like Danni, has potential to dominate a bowling attack and very early on; she will be able to influence the game on and off the pitch talking to the youngsters.

“When a County squad has international players, there is a danger of placing a huge reliance on those players and they can become pivotal on the team’s performance.  Defining roles is crucial and Danni and Elyse can help the other players develop their own games affecting the team’s performance positively. “

Newton believes that Staffs have moved on in just ten years since she last played for the county and they have adapted with the times.

“The Women’s game has drastically changed over the last few years; T20 has made players innovate with sweeps and paddles and work hard on technique in order to hit the ball harder and in the air,” she explained. “It was still very traditional when I played for Staffs and all players and teams have had to move with the times so progression has definitely been made. “

In her current role Newton over sees a number of counties in the Midlands and is looking to evolve Staffordshire cricket even further.

She said: “Each County is at different stages of maturity therefore my work with each County can be similar but also can be very different.

“To give an example of my work with Staffs, I have presented the National Vision for Women’s and Girls’ cricket to Bob Askey and Leigh Rees and as a result of the document Bob (Askey) and Leigh (Rees) are in the process of setting up groups to tackle areas for development and areas of strength in order to service the needs of the County and continue to move it on.

“We are always looking for examples of ways girls will become or have become involved as it means less time experimenting and more time working on things that work.  There isn’t a fool proof way but the little things matter with girls; for instance handing them a leaflet that has been personalised, gives precise details of training and is attractive in design will help migration.

“The West Midlands Counties are all improving; and that is down to more Clubs offering girls’ cricket and therefore more girls are playing and being coached from an earlier age and more frequently.  I don’t doubt there will be a few gems in the system already and that patience coupled with the elite coaching offered in Staffs will unearth plenty of talented players.”

Staffordshire start their season at home against Wales on the 6^th May.

Painsley Catholic College have a strong showing at Staffordshire Lady Taverners

Painsley Catholic College under 13s cricket team have progressed to the Lady Taverners County final against Wolverhampton Girls High School A.

The under 13s went through the group stage unbeaten, seeing off Wolstanton High, Ormiston Horizon Academy, Sir Thomas Boughey and St Joseph’s, the smallest margin of victory being 24 runs against St Josephs and the highest 59 runs against Ormiston Horizon Academy.

They were due to play the final at the same time as the under 15s final at Fenton Manor, but Wolverhampton A were unable to attend due to academic commitments, meaning the final will be played at a neutral place in April.

Painsley also had a strong showing in the under 15s tournament where they made it to the final, but were beaten comprehensively by Wolverhampton by 68 runs.

They didn’t start the tournament well, losing their first game against the same side by 81 runs, but they went on to win the next two games, meaning they went through to the semi finals in second place.

In the semi final Painsley played Birches Head High School and they brushed aside the Stoke based school with ease, setting up the final with Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton batted first and set a target of 99 for Painsley to chase down but like the first game of the tournament they fell well short only reaching 31 runs.

Georgia Elwiss keeping an eye on her friends and ex teammates at Staffs

Former Staffordshire seam bowler Georgia Elwiss admits her old teammates will have a tough season ahead of them but she wouldn’t count them out.

Staffordshire women were promoted into division two last season and will now be playing the likes of Lancashire, Warwickshire and Durham this year and Elwiss doesn’t underestimate the task ahead of them.

The England international said: “Division two will be a great challenge.  They will be playing against some very strong sides.

“They have been training really well over the winter and have recruited Elyse Vaillani from Australia who is a great signing. She is a very destructive player.”

Vaillani who will be Staffordshire’s overseas professional this season has represented Australia in the twenty20 format six times at the age of 22 and already knows one of her teammates this summer. The opening batswoman plays for Victoria down under, the same team that Danni Wyatt played for this winter.

Elwiss states that she will be keeping a keen eye on her friends and old teammates, while she plays for Sussex in division one.

She added: “I do of course always love to see how they are doing. Staffordshire cricket will always be close to my heart, the coaches there helped me to get to where I am today.

“The girls have a fantastic spirit and I do hope they have a very good season and wish them all the success playing in division two.

“If they play well who knows what they can do.”

Elwiss was part of the England side that has just completed a victorious tour of New Zealand, where they whitewashed the White Ferns.

She said: “Obviously you want to play every game you can for England but that is part and parcel of being a world class side. There is huge competition for places and you have to fight to get your place in the side.

“The tour was amazing. We set ourselves the challenge of winning all eight games and only the rain prevented us from doing that.

“We are very happy with how it went.”

While keeping an eye on Staffordshire, Elwiss will be hoping to go one better than last year and win the division one title with Sussex.

Wolverhampton County under 15 champions

Wolverhampton under 15s and Painsley under 13s won their respected age groups at the Lady Taverners tournament to progress to the stage of the competition.

The event took place over three days at Fenton Manor sports centre in Stoke on Trent; ten teams competed at the under 13 level over the first two days and eight teams at under 15s on the final day.

On day one Wolverhampton A under 13s progressed to the final, but only after suffering a scare; they lost one game in the group stage, which was against their own B side. Meaning if the Bs beat The Discovery Academy and scored 68 in the process they would take the place in the final, they fell short of their target, losing by 61 runs.

On the second day Painsley Catholic College went through the group stage unfazed,  with a 100 percent record, the smallest margin of victory being 24 runs, the highest 59 runs.

Wolverhampton couldn’t return for the final on the Monday meaning Painsley go through to the next round.

The same two schools reached the final of the under 15 competition, with Wolverhampton running out comfortable victors.

The two met in the first game of the tournament, the same side winning by 81 runs. Painsley’s heads didn’t drop and they didn’t lose another game on route to the final. Wolverhampton took a 100 percent record to the final not losing a game in the group stage.

In the other section it was a close affair with Birches Head High school and Alleyne’s both going through to the semi finals on seven points, with Birches Head winning the group having scored more runs.

This meant that Painsley met Birches Head and Wolverhampton faced Alleyne’s in the semi finals, both passing the test with little trouble.

Wolverhampton’s coach, Arthur Pickering, thought the girls were capable of getting to the final and winning it all along.

He said: “I always thought we stood a good chance of winning, all of them bar one were in the side that won it last year.

“Amber Sambhu and Dana Slack were outstanding, they took a lot of wickets and hit runs. They are both county players, Amber players for Staffordshire and Dana plays for Shropshire.

“I am proud of the girls with how they played in both age groups.”

Amy Carnwell, who plays for Staffordshire women’s first team, has come through the age groups at the county. She participated in the tournament at the same age and she believes it is an excellent vehicle to get the girls involved in the game.

The 19 year old said: “The Lady Taverners is a great way to discover girls that have not yet been involved in the club set up and to provide them with the pathways and motivation to continue with their cricket locally, perhaps progress to county level.

“The standard on the day was an impressive level, there were some good girls involved. I was particularly impressed with Lizzie Harvey at the under 13s tournament who played Wolverhampton A.”

Redfern believes Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss have long England careers ahead of them

Former England and Staffordshire all rounder Sue Redfern believes Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss have long international careers ahead of them.

Wyatt and Elwiss were named in the England squad back in November for the upcoming tour of New Zealand which commences in February.

Redfern who played six Test matches and 15 ODIs between 1995 and 1999 says the 20 year olds both still have a lot of developing to do but have a promising career still come.

She said: “Both are young, and injury dependant, have long careers in cricket. They shouldn’t be resting on their current performances, they should be looking to enhance and develop their own performance.

“Both are great profiles and role models and we should be using this as a way to promote to the game to inspire the next generation of cricketers.”

Redfern played with both Wyatt and Elwiss at Staffordshire and Meir Heath cricket club and she could see the potential talent in them both.

She continued: “You could tell they had talent but young talent. It was important they nurtured that talent and progressed and didn’t just stay good players.

“Interestingly both developed at different ages, showing that each player has to be treated differently.

“Showing potential and progressing to the next stage has many caveats and challenges, both players still need to develop not just on the pitch but off the pitch and their behaviours.

“At the moment they are the best in England, but to play for England in the future they have to be the best players in the world.”

Both players will be looking to make their mark on the team and cement their places in the squad ahead of a busy 15 months, which starts in Sri Lanka with the Twenty20 world cup in 2012.

Published at http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8d7b7103571021b70cdab70cf&id=c86071c423 under bright careers for Staffordshire girls. Just scroll down to the Women’s and girls section and you will find it.

England all rounder Danielle Wyatt looking to be unbeaten in New Zealand

England and Staffordshire all rounder Danielle Wyatt admits that defeat on the tour of New Zealand would mean failure.

Wyatt is part of England’s 15 woman squad for the trip to New Zealand this month, which consists of five Twenty20s and three ODIs and the 20 year old says the side are going there to win every game and make a statement to the world ahead of the World Twenty20 in September.

She said: “We had a team meeting and Charlotte (Edwards) said our aim is to win every game and if we lose one game we will come back very disappointed.

“We shouldn’t be losing to New Zealand with the team we have now. The squad is really strong and there is now competition for places with everybody willing to play. So we will go to win every game and start to build momentum to take into the World cup.”

With confidence high in the squad, they are looking be aggressive and take the attack to the White Ferns who are under the new captaincy of Suzie Bates.

Wyatt continued: “In team meetings we talk about being brave and showing intent with the bat upfront and make use of the powerplays, this also means that Edwards can play her own game.

“Some of their players have retired, which means fresh faces in the squad who I don’t know a lot about, but they have a strong team who can get on top of you.

“They’ve got some good batters at the top of the order so we will have to strike early and get them out pretty cheaply, but they won’t be full of confidence as they have just lost a series against Australia 4-1”

Personally for Wyatt it presents a chance to secure a place in the side ahead of an action packed 15 months for England.

She said: “We’ve got three warm up games in New Zealand before the Twenty20s so I hope to play in them and then play in the first Twenty20.

“I’ve got to make sure I perform in New Zealand, make sure I’m fit and keep performing for Staffs.

“I feel I have improved my game in all three departments after my time in Australia and hopefully I can take this onto the international scene.”

Wyatt spent the winter playing for Victoria where she helped them win the twenty20 competition for the third time running, claiming player of the match in the final, hitting 39 from 38 balls.

The 20 year old said: “I really enjoyed my time there and it was a huge achievement for the team and me. For an English player to win player of the match in an Australian final is something to be proud of.

“I’m feeling really confident now going to New Zealand after my time in Australia.

“It’s a big tour for us, if we win every game the world will be scared of us.”

It’s about being a somebody for Mo Chaudry

When he first came to England at the age of nine, his family had nothing, now 31 years on, he likes a challenge and wants to climb the highest mountain in South America – Aconcagua in Argentina, but first, he has got to buy a football club.

Mo Chaudry is fighting a battle to take over his adopted club Port Vale. The man for whom it wasn’t enough to be an average man, but about ‘wanting to be a somebody and getting out of the rat race’, has been in an ongoing fight against the current board for four months. He has even got the backing of the majority of fans.

For the man who is worth £60 million, aims and dreams are a huge part of his life and believes they are there to be achieved. His dream for Port Vale is to ‘take them to where they really belong,’ the Championship in five years or maybe higher and leave a legacy.

To make this fantasy come true, he is willing to invest up to £5 million firstly into the club then the team.

He said: “We will look at the commercial side first and also match day revenues. We will look to finish the Robbie Williams suit, which will accommodate 800 people. The most important thing is to get the non football side structured well. Then to the team and get better players, which will hopefully bring the success.”

Although he isn’t a Vale fan through and through, Chaudry still wants the best for the club as he feels the ‘connection’ he found seven years ago, when they were in administration.

He said: “I wouldn’t actually claim to be a Vale fan, but there are a number of reasons why I want to get involved.

“I think I can do a good job, I have the means and the will to do it, and another reason is the community side.

“Most football clubs do football in the community, I think I can take it to the next level and engage the wider community, the different ethnic backgrounds that live within North Staffordshire.

He sees the Asian population in Stoke-on-Trent as a massive area to exploit and believes his links in with them and his ownership of Water World could be the basis of a new fan base to add on top of the disappearing numbers already there.

“We get 200,000 kids coming through the doors at Water World, who are under 12 years of age, who haven’t been tapped into before and we will try and make them become future Vale fans. If I can get a 1.5% conversion rate that’s 3,000 new fans, then the old fans might come back.

“Then there are 15,000 young Asian people, in North Staffordshire, who love football and we will look to convert a good 10% of them.”

The ethnic backgrounds within Stoke are a huge interest to Chaudry who was born in Pakistan in 1960. He is hoping that being in the top 100 UK Asian businessmen, owning one of the top leisure attractions in Staffordshire and hopefully adding a football club to his resume will help him become an iconic symbol for the for young British Asians.

It has been at the forefront of his mind for a while and in February 2010, he applied to join the BNP, to fight the organisation from the inside.

He said: “There is something inside me that’s up for the challenge, always been a bit of a maverick, someone who stretches the boundaries of rules and regulations.

“I was looking to awake the silent majority. It’s about standing up and being counted, too many people just sit on the fence and don’t make it into the arena.

“It was about making the news and exposing them for what they really are and they had a strangle hold in Stoke, going from zero to nine BNP councillors.”

After Chaudry’s efforts there was a local and national election and three BNP councillors stood again but none got re-elected.

This determination has got Chaudry where he is today in his businesses and his charity work. Chaudry came from a family which had very little when they left Pakistan for England and he looks back to this time and when his father went into bankruptcy, as a motivation.

Chaudry said: “I saw the mistakes my father had mad-e because he didn’t have the knowledge and I was determined not to make the same ones.

“Seeing my dad go bankrupt and end up in the factory, I decided I needed to get out of the rat race.

“You need a trigger an extra motivation; this was it and I just wanted to be successful.”

This motivation and mindset has led Chaudry to becoming one of the most successful businessmen in the Midlands. It has also led him to incredible achievements for charity, which vary from cycling through the Jordan desert to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and the three peaks in the UK. Now he is eyeing up Aconcagua as the next challenge.

Staffs women looking for an inspirational season 2011

The sound of beep bop music reverberating around the indoor centre marks the start of the new cricket season for Staffordshire’s women’s cricket team.

After a winter of reconstruction in the managerial side and a combination of fitness training, technical coaching and tactical drills for the players, they are full of confidence to play ‘tough, hard cricket’ and are raring to go to try to fulfil the two aims of their new coach Chris Guest. These are to win promotion at the third attempt and to ‘play with a smile on their face.’

He said: “Our goal is about being promoted, that is our aim this season.”

Staffordshire missed out again on promotion out of the Women’s County Championship division 3 by 0.19 point at the hands of Wales last year. The last two games were very costly, losing them both and the last one especially so; failing to chase down Wales’ modest target of 76, collapsing to 55.

Even though Guest, who has worked with the men’s England head coach Andy Flower, has only seen the players in preseason despite no new additions to the squad, he has full confidence in them achieving promotion this season.

Guest continued: “With the players at our disposal, with the experience they have and the training we have done through the winter it’s a realistic goal and one I think we can achieve, if we go well and stick to the game plan.”

Guest has had to find a new captain for this season as Georgia Elwiss has moved to Sussex in an attempt to relight her England career. He has chosen Kate Dicken who has plenty of experience behind her, captaining England’s indoor team and he hopes she ‘leads from the front.’

Dicken has an idea about what the game plan is for the forthcoming season: “We have a strong squad, and throughout the winter we have worked hard on more specific things so hopefully we can apply that. It’s really about batting in partnerships. That is where we fell short last season and it’s where we are looking to improve.”

She doesn’t believe that too much emphasis should be put on the fact that they have lost their captain and opening bowler.

Dicken said: “It is a big loss, she’s a good player, opened the bowling and was captain but the rest of us will just have to step up to the plate. She’s gone on to bigger and better things.”

The loss of Elwiss and Overseas professional and New Zealand wicketkeeper Rachel Priest has led Guest and coaching staff Leigh Rees and Bob Askey to look at this season as being one to rebuild and be a learning curve for the girls. Last season there was a thought that there was too much responsibility on Priest and England all rounder Danielle Wyatt. Between them they hit 50.3% of the runs.

Rees said: “A problem with having players like Danielle and Rachel is that you can become over reliant on them.

“Last year on the batting side we did become over dependent on Danielle and Rachel. Nobody hit more than 50 in a game other than those two, there were just little cameos. For the run scoring we were relying on them.”

They haven’t been able to replace Priest, but there are a few on the radar. However Rees doesn’t see it has a huge inconvenience to achieve promotion.

He continued: “I don’t think it will be a bad thing and would be quite character building for the squad to stick with what we have got. They will have to take responsibility this season as we won’t be able to rely on Danielle being there every week because she is in the England squad. I think it will help the players to evolve and become better players.”

However they are looking to Wyatt to lead from the front with the bat from her experience at the highest level. Guest said: “Of course we are hoping that Danni’s experience will help she’s played at the highest level, but we can’t just look to her.”

Not only are the girls hoping to have a strong season in the County Championship but also in the Tweny20 competition. This year they will be competing in the Midlands and North division 1 after they won the second division last year on net run rate. Staffs will be facing County Championship division 1 outfits Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, and second division Warwickshire.

Rees knows it will be tough for the girls saying: “Even though we didn’t get promoted last year in the County Championship, we won our Twenty20 group easily. Now we have got play against teams like Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, all are good teams and it will be very hard and be a good test, but we will look to compete with them and do well.”

Staffs have got a long summer ahead, but there’s one thing that is on the coaching staff and player’s minds. Promotion, and they will do anything to achieve this.