Gunn firing on all cylinders like her footballing father
Daniel Zeqiri hears how a former Nottingham Forest defender has helped his daughter’s cricket career
Astretch of A-road named Brian Clough Way connects Nottingham and Derby, an allusion to past glories that will have special resonance for England bowler Jenny Gunn when she takes the field against India at the County Ground next Saturday.
Gunn’s father, Bryn, was a European Cup winner under Clough’s guidance at Nottingham Forest; now Jenny is aiming to secure her second Women’s World Cup medal on home soil this summer.
England women’s leading wicket taker in one-day internationals was not always destined to be a cricketer, however.
“I was always going to play sport I just didn’t know which one,” said Gunn. “We’re a very competitive family so my dad was always competitive with us. But my family never pushed – we just took the course that happened naturally. I fell in love with cricket.
“It’s nice now because I can speak to him. He knows a hell of a lot about playing in front of crowds; he’s played at the Nou Camp and things, it’s just crazy.
“I have him who is level-headed and my mum saying ‘Just hit sixes’. She doesn’t quite get it.”
Gunn is one of five survivors from England’s 2009 World Cup triumph in Australia along with Katherine Brunt, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole and Sarah Taylor.
The quintet provide a welcome smattering of experience to a team forging a fresh identity under coach Mark Robinson.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Taylor, England’s third highest runscorer in 50-over cricket, is returning to the fold after taking a break from the game last year due a stress-related illness.
It is a sad but familiar tale in cricket, with Jonathan Trott and Marcus Trescothick notable examples of internationals enduring spells of mental anguish, but Gunn feels the sport is a source of support for those in need.
“She’s come so far in the year she’s had off and I’ll tell you what, she’s batting the best I’ve seen in years,” said Gunn. “I think it just shows that Sarah was out of the game for a year but got full support from her teammates, from everyone really.
“She needed that help, and it just shows that within a year she is feeling ready to come back for a World Cup. I think cricket is a major force to be reckoned with when it comes to mental health.”
Taylor’s comeback is one of two good-news stories for England in the run-up to the tournament, with captain Heather Knight passed fit after recovering from a stress fracture in her foot.
The captain returned in fine style by picking up three wickets in England’s warm-up match against India last Tuesday, meaning