Western Storm name new Coach

Western Storm have officially announced that Mark O’Leary will be the team’s Bowling Coach for the 2019 KIA Super League.

Mark is currently the Head Cricket Coach at Cardiff MCCU and is part of the academic staff based at Cardiff Met University, who have granted him permission to work with Western Storm for the duration of this season’s KSL.

“It’s an exciting challenge and it’s one that I’m certainly looking forward to. It’s great to be involved with the women’s game and hopefully we’ll have some success this season.

“I’ll look to do what I do best as a coach, which is to make sure that the players are happy and that they improve. A big part of Western Storm’s values is that they want to have fun and enjoy their cricket. That’s a big part of the team ethos and hopefully I can help to play a big part in that.

“The people at Cardiff Met have been great. They’ve been really supportive of me joining up with Western Storm, so I can’t thank them enough.

“This is a great opportunity and hopefully I can help the squad go on to achieve something special this year.”

Western Storm Head Coach, Trevor Griffin said: “It’s great to have Mark on board for 2019. We met with him on a number of occasions over the course of the winter and his passion for the game was there for all to see. He has a wealth of experience and his enthusiasm for the game is infectious. He has an excellent reputation when it comes to working with and developing young players and that can only be of benefit to us this season.”

Mark will be joining the Western Storm coaching team which once again includes Michael Bates, John Pitts, Adam Rutter and Jack Whaley

Michael Bates has returned for his third campaign as Assistant Coach. Michael is well known to South West supporters from his time playing for Somerset. He has also coached with both Hampshire and England and has recently written a book on wicketkeeping.

Performance Coach Jon Pitts is an expert in elite performance and has extensive experience in helping people compete at the highest level and under the most extreme pressure.

Ocean Physio’s Adam Rutter is a specialist sports physio and re-joins the Storm support team again for a third KSL. Based in Exeter, Adam also brings a wealth of experience.

Jack Whaley returns to Western Storm for a second KSL and, after a successful internship with the England Cricket Board, he provides vital analysis and match stats to help both coaches and players.