Western Storm announce selections for Regional Academy Programme

Western Storm are delighted to be able to announce the selections for the Western Storm Regional Academy programme.

Sessions took place before Christmas to observe a large number of players from across the region, with nominations from Wales, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Devon.

The nominated players were put through their paces with a number of skills challenges and had the opportunity to work with a number of top coaches from the women’s game.

The regional academy will consist of a variety of practice and match opportunities from the new year across the 2021 season.  These opportunities will be region-wide, with each player attending a weekly Academy hub session that will provide a local training opportunity for players to develop their skills.

The Western Storm Academy will train at some of the best facilities in the region, with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (Bristol), Glamorgan County Cricket Club (Cardiff), Somerset County Cricket Club (Taunton) and the Cornwall Cricket Centre (Truro) all hosting an Academy hub. Fortnightly squad sessions on the weekend will also begin when Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Players selected onto the programme will receive a broad range of support sessions to further their development including technical support, tactical awareness and a strength & conditioning programme. The players will also receive both physiotherapy and medical support. The Western Storm Academy programme will run until the end of August 2021, with a full calendar of summer training sessions and match-play opportunities provided.

The fourteen players selected onto the Western Storm Academy are:

Rebecca Odgers (Cornwall), Emily Geach (Cornwall), Emma Corney (Devon), Olivia Churcher (Devon & Somerset), Sophia Smale (Wales), Sara Phillips (Wales), Bethan Gammon (Wales), Jess Hazell (Somerset), Lola Harris (Somerset), Niamh Holland (Somerset), Joleigh Roberts (Somerset), Chloe Skelton (Gloucestershire), Zoe Dibble (Gloucestershire), Mollie Robbins (Gloucestershire).

Dan Helesfay, Western Storm’s Senior Regional Talent Manager, who will lead up the Academy group, said: “A massive thank you has to go to all of those who made the observations possible. The flexibility that staff, facilities, and parents of nominees have shown has allowed us to take the game forward, so everyone associated with Western Storm is extremely grateful for all of their efforts.

“I would also like to congratulate all of those who have been selected. We can’t wait to work with the 14 players this year. For those who were not selected, it is important to remember that this is not the end of the journey. The Pathway and the accessibility of players within the Pathway has never been more defined. I look forward to seeing more players in their respective sessions across the region with their counties, and at fixtures throughout the summer.”

Lisa Pagett, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket said: “It has been a monumental effort by Dan to reach the stage of selecting the first ever Academy intake for Western Storm. The selected players have a fantastic opportunity ahead of them to access a brilliant level of support which will make a huge difference to their development. One of the things that pleases me the most about the Academy selections is that they are representative of the whole region and a true reflection of the great work going on in the counties that feed into Storm.”