Lloyd Tennant appointed Ireland Women's head coach

Cricket Ireland has announced Lloyd Tennant as the Head Coach for Ireland Women from June 1. Tennant, 57, is an ECB Level 4 qualified cricket coach with over 30 years' experience in coaching and developing international, regional and first-class cricketers and teams. He is also the former Head Coach of Central Sparks, for which he led for four years.
 
Tennant has significant experience in women’s cricket as Assistant Coach for the ECB Female Academy and ‘A’ Team, Assistant Coach for Manchester Originals Female Team, and as ECB Women and Girls’ Talent Manager for two years.
 
He also has extensive coaching experience working across the Male High Performance Pathway at Leicestershire CCC for over 20 years, and was Bowling Coach for the ECB Male Under-19 programme.
 
Tennant was a professional cricketer for eight years at Leicestershire CCC and Essex CCC. Reacting to his appointment, Tennant said, “I’m very excited about this new role - it’s such a great time to be involved in women’s cricket, given its rapid development around the world. This Ireland Women’s squad has moved forward enormously under the guidance of Ed Joyce, and I would like to continue his great work, supporting this squad as it continues to grow.  To be honest, I can’t wait to get started.”
 
Graeme West, Cricket Ireland’s Director of High Performance, said of the appointment, “We are delighted to have secured the services of Lloyd Tennant as our new National Women’s Head Coach. Lloyd’s vast experience coaching across male and female High Performance Pathways in the UK made him an outstanding candidate. He brings an abundance of expertise and knowledge, with the additional capacity to educate, that I am confident will advance the players and staff he leads. 
 
“He has a track record in harnessing potential and sustaining players’ progress. This was exemplified in his leadership role as Head Coach of Central Sparks, where he managed a High Performance Programme for multiple years and nurtured a talented pool of players, many of whom currently feature in England’s Senior, ‘A’ Team and Academy squads.
 
“Lloyd’s involvement with the Female England ‘A’ Squad has given him the insight into what ‘world’s best’ requires, particularly around long-term planning and preparation for major ICC events, tournaments that will be critical to maintaining the upward trajectory the National Team has enjoyed in recent years. 
 
“We believe Lloyd is the perfect fit for the current national squad that has an abundance of young talent. His additional experience with the ECB taking players through Under-19 World Cup cycles and National Academy programmes has provided Lloyd with a thorough understanding of the challenges of managing and developing players who are balancing educational commitments with the demands of being an elite athlete.”