WHEN Kieran Peters was appointed in June 2022 as pathway coach and women and girls lead for Somerset, he became the first full time person to be employed by the county to oversee the development of the women’s and girls’ game.

We caught up with Kieran, who reflected on his time in post and updated us on what is currently happening.

He said: “It has been really good, and I’ve really enjoyed my first two years in the post.

“Since I was appointed, I don’t think a lot more could have changed not only from a Pathway perspective but also the general shape and change and how the women’s game has grown has been exciting.

“I have very much enjoyed it and looking forward to seeing how we can continue to develop the programme.”

What are the areas that since he was appointed Kieran has moved forward and developed?

“Lots of things have changed and when I first came into post, we started with an under 12s,13s 15s and 18s squad,” he said.

“In year 1 we shifted to Under 11s, 13s, 15s and 18s.

“Then this year we have now got two Under 11 squads of mixed ability spread across 48 players.

“We have got 43 under 13s across a County Age Group and a Wyvern squad, two more county age group squads at U15s and U18s as well as a 20-player Under 16 Wyvern squad.

“In total we now have about 140 players which has moved on from 85, which is really exciting.

“One of the biggest shifts we have seen, is that two years ago we didn’t have enough numbers to put out an Under 11s team and now we have got 48.

“A lot of that is down to the really good work of the Somerset Cricket Foundation, which is getting more girls playing cricket from an earlier age.

“The game is now much more accessible to younger girls and there are more clubs involved, which is fantastic.

“We call the Under 11s the Foundation phase of our Pathway and the group is all mixed ability, and we are just trying to provide as many cricketing opportunities for them as possible.

“The other thing that is worth noting is how our state school programme has grown and Thom Bunker coming in and doing that role is going really well.

“It has certainly made a massive difference to what we can deliver across the Pathway. During the winter programme the additional support the state school girls have been receiving has been clear to see and that's very exciting.”

How advantageous did Kieran feel it has been to have a full time person to undertake the role he is carrying out?

He said: “Certainly to have been involved with the planning and implementation of the programmes and then have the chance to oversee it and be available to talk to people about the direction of travel we are trying to go has been really important.”

Kieran went onto talk about the Somerset Women’s team in 2024.

“The Somerset Women’s squad this year consists of 15 players and is looking strong again this year,” he said.

“We beat Cornwall in the first 50-over game of the year and unfortunately the second game was abandoned against Dorset due to the rain.

“Through the summer the ECB runs four T20 days during which we play two teams on each day with the group winners going through to a national finals day, plus there are also four 50 over games.”

Kieran also updated us on the girls Pathway programme.

“We have now finished the winter programme and over the last month we have transitioned into the summer programme,” he said.

We are now in a block where the younger age groups do quite a lot of training outside before they then transfer into a match play block.

“The Under 18s are currently in the process of playing in a National Knock Out and their next game is on Sunday 9th June at Bath CC when we take on Wales.

“The Under 15s have got a couple of fixtures over the half term and then it goes slightly quieter and they have some training before their busiest time in July and August when they have a match day schedule.”

Finally, Kieran mentioned one of the new developments that he has been involved with helping to set up.

He explained: “Over this half term, the under 13 girls are going away to Blundell's School where they have a three-day south west development camp involving Devon, Cornwall and Somerset: something that is new this year.

“This will be really exciting and a good opportunity for the girls to spend some time away together and have some training sessions and matchplay experiences.”