New Appointments at Herefordshire Cricket

6 years ago   |   By Stephen Watkins

Herefordshire Cricket is delighted to announce the appointment of four new staff members. Kirsty Sockett, Claire Langford, Emily Arlott and Richard Skyrme will all be joining the operation in part-time roles and will support the work being done by Director of Operations , Steve Watkins, and the Herefordshire Cricket Board itself, led by Chairman Derek Ling.

Richard Skyrme’s new role will see him focus on two important areas. As a former captain of Herefordshire County Cricket Club, his first focus will be as Performance and Coaching Manager, which includes overseeing all the County Age Group Coaching and match play, and will also see him lead, develop and tutor Coach Education courses and introduce and develop a Coach Mentoring and Development programme.

Richard’s second focus, as Club Development Manager, is to lead and be accountable for all club related programmes and to act as a point of contact for clubs to share best practice and advice across club development issues and opportunities.

The second appointment sees Kirsty Sockett take on a Finance and Administration role with Herefordshire Cricket. Kirsty is a former Managing Director of Chadds of Hereford and she has strong links with cricket as her father, John Chadd, captained Hereford City for 20 years and is also a former President of Worcestershire County Cricket Club. She is also heavily involved at Burghill, Tillington & Weobley Cricket Club where her husband, son and daughter play.

Emily Arlott’s appointment is a joint venture with the Worcestershire Cricket Board, in that she will work ⅓ for Herefordshire and ⅔ for Worcestershire. Emily will be delivering Chance to Shine and All Stars cricket sessions in the Primary Schools in East Herefordshire.

The final appointment sees Claire Langford, who is already the county’s welfare officer, take responsibility for administration of the County Age Group teams. Her duties include communicating with all the Age Group and Development players regarding winter and summer Coaching programmes and compiling the summer match programme and fixture card for all the teams.

Speaking about the recent changes to the structure at Herefordshire Cricket, Chairman, Derek Ling, said:

‘The new structure we have put in place will see us move in a slightly different direction, as encouraged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). We will be much more club facing and there will be additional support on offer to help clubs develop. This support will come from the ECB’s West Midlands regional team who will be able to provide guidance, leadership and support in areas, from All Stars and Disability cricket, to more opportunities for women and girls or those children who have not yet had the chance to play our great game.

‘I am very excited by the new team we have put together and believe that under the stewardship of Steve Watkins we are in a great position to help boost local cricket. We will continue to push for new ways to get even more youngsters involved in our sport and ensure that cricket in the county is as healthy as possible.’

If you’d like to find out more about Herefordshire Cricket, please do not hesitate to call the office on 01432 275 189, or visit www.herefordshirecricket.co.uk.