Former England spinner takes WA coaching job

01 May 2020 cricket.com.au

Becky Grundy takes over from Lisa Keightley as the new permanent coach of the defending WNCL champions

Former England spinner Becky Grundy has been appointed head coach of Western Australia's women's side, creating an interesting dynamic where the 29-year-old will likely be coaching players older than her.

Grundy represented England 21 times between 2014 and 2016 and also played for Perth Scorchers in the second season of the Rebel Women's Big Bash League in 2016-17.

Image Id: 75EBAB1B04DD4E62A3C7FDBA7F1B85D1 Image Caption: Grundy celebrates a wicket for England in 2014 // Getty

Having moved into a coaching in the past few years, Grundy has been elevated to the top job with Western Australia following the departure of Lisa Keightley to take up the head coaching role with the England women's team.

WA's playing list for the upcoming season is yet to be confirmed, but Grundy could well find herself coaching the likes of Nicole Bolton and Kath Hempenstall, who are two years older than the new head coach.

Grundy worked as an assistant during WA's title winning run in the 50-over Women's National Cricket League last summer and she's hopeful of leading her side to back-to-back titles.

Brilliant Bolton leads WA to first WNCL title

"The unwavering support from our CEO Christina Matthews and the Board has resulted in WA being one of the leading programs in the country and I am extremely grateful to be a part of it," Grundy said.

"The recent success of winning the 2019-20 WNCL title will remain an unforgettable experience for all involved, one that we will collectively work hard to experience again."

WA is the only state not to have a player on the list of 15 women centrally contracted by Cricket Australia for this season, but Grundy says it's not a reflection of the talent in the state.

"We’ve had some really solid individual performances, like Nicole Bolton being named the Player of the WNCL, and it’s always going to be an ambition of our program, to have our players represented at national level,” she told the West Australian.

"When we look at our pathway we’ve had girls who’ve recently been selected in the Under 15s and Under 19s squads, so we do have those players who are involved in that pathway which gives us excitement for what the future might hold."