O’Leary Appointed Interim Head Coach

Mark O’Leary has been appointed as the Western Storm head coach for the remainder of the 2020 season.

O’Leary, who is also the Head Coach of Cardiff MCCU, was part of the Storm’s coaching staff in 2019 and is looking forward to getting stuck into more cricket in 2020 and working with elite athletes once again.

“It’s fantastic to be involved at Western Storm again,” said O’Leary. “I was delighted to be involved last year everyone was so accepting and welcoming, and the players were always willing to learn and develop.”

“To have the call to ask would I be interested in leading the campaign, it’s an honour to be asked .

“My personal philosophy is that it’s all about the player, and as long as they develop and enjoy themselves, that’s the most important thing.”

O’Leary’s main job is as the Head Coach of the Cardiff MCCU at Cardiff Met which is made up of three constituent Universities including Cardiff University and USW.

Three members of the Western Storm squad will be joining Cardiff Met in the new term, and O’Leary is thankful to Cardiff Met for the support that they give him in his coaching career.

“I owe a lot to Cardiff Met, they give me the opportunities to get involved in these franchises and competitions, and it’s nice to be given these opportunities.

They’ve always pushed me as an individual and as a coach to reach my full potential, and that benefits me, it benefits them and also those who I work with.”

Despite the delayed start to the 2020 season, O’Leary is hoping to get going soon and put Western Storm on the front foot heading into the campaign.

“Whatever the rest of the season looks like, it’s a really exciting period for the Western Storm and women’s cricket in this country. Lisa Pagett has been the driving force behind the progress we are making, along with the counties and cricket boards involved, and we are keen to get going and show everyone what we are about.”

Regional Director, Lisa Pagett, said: “We are really fortunate to have somebody of Mark’s calibre and experience leading Western Storm over the next couple of months, Mark was a key part of the coaching team in the 2019 KSL campaign and has a great understanding of the women’s cricket horizon.

“I have no doubt that Mark will bring great energy and experience into the squad for this summer and we are really grateful to Cardiff Metropolitan University for supporting Mark in joining us for this period. We will be looking to put a more permanent plan in place for Western Storm for the Autumn onwards with two exciting new roles being advertised shortly, but I am thrilled that it is Mark who will be leading Western Storm over the next few months as we move into a new chapter”