Lightning coach included in England squad
ENGLAND Rugby Red Roses Coach, Simon Middleton has announced a 28 player squad for the upcoming Old Mutual Wealth Series which features Loughborough Lightning player coach Sarah Hunter.
Alongside the announcement of the Old Mutual Wealth Series squad England have also named a wider 35 woman Elite Player Squad for the 2017/18 season which includes a further two Lightning players in Olivia Jones and Cath O’Donnell.
Simon Middleton, England Women Head Coach said: “We’re really excited; we know the challenge will be different this season. We have new additions to the squad, a good combination of experience but also some new and exciting talent.”
Hunter recently captained the national side to the Women’s World Cup Final where they narrowly missed out on victory over New Zealand.
Since then she has turned some of her attention to coaching, having taken up the role of Performance Coach at Loughborough University where she leads on the Women’s BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) programme.
On the field Hunter has brought much needed experience to the Lightning setup, which is proving an asset in their inaugural campaign in the Tyrrell’s Premier 15s.
She said: “It’s always an honour getting selected into an England squad and it is certainly no different this time. I am very much looking forward to the series ahead and the challenges Canada will bring. It’s a really exciting squad full of youth and experience and I can’t wait to see how we can perform together in the season ahead”
Loughborough Uni student Olivia Jones is amongst those named in the Elite Player Squad for the 2017/18 season along with Cath O’Donnell.