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Lightning Cricket Head Coach Rob Taylor

Image credit: Ben Lumley Photography

Taylor heads to The Hundred with Welsh Fire

Rob Taylor, Lightning Cricket’s Head Coach, has been appointed to Welsh Fire women’s backroom team for this summer’s inaugural Hundred competition.

The former Scotland and Leicestershire all-rounder has been appointed as Fast Bowling Coach for the Cardiff-based side in a secondment from his current Loughborough role.

The Hundred is a new professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men's and women's teams located in major cities across England and Wales.

“The Hundred is a new brand of cricket that is going to be massive for the women’s game,” commented Taylor.

“I’m excited to be part of a competition that has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport – both in playing and coaching capacities – and I see this as a great opportunity for me to maximise my coaching development.

“During The Hundred, the men and women’s games will be more closely linked than ever before with double-headers and the potential of sell-out crowds a real possibility.

“As it’s a new format of the game, planning and preparation are going to play a huge part in whether a team is successful. Everyone will need to adapt and react quickly, and I can’t wait for the challenge.”

Lightning will be well represented in the competition with thirteen of its players signed to different franchises. Assistant Coach Jon Bateson will also temporarily join the Trent Rockets in a Performance Analysis role.

Ian Read, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket for the East Midlands at Loughborough University, added:

“Rob is a meticulous and experienced coach and I’ve no doubt that he will be a huge asset to Welsh Fire for The Hundred competition.

“We’re incredibly proud that we have a large cohort of East Midlands-based players and staff representing different franchises in the competition and we wish them all the very best.”

The Hundred takes place between 21 Jul 2021 – 21 Aug 2021 and features the teams; Welsh Fire, Trent Rockets, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Oval Invincibles, and Southern Brave. 

For more information on The Hundred visit its website HERE and for more information on cricket at Loughborough, click HERE.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 21/125

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019.

Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in the Guardian University League Table 2021, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2021.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

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