Davina Perrin called up to training camp for England u-19s

The under-19s are set to have a series of winter training camps at the ECB’s base as coaches assess players before they head to Sri Lanka for a tri-series with Australia and the hosts to play a mix of T20s and one-dayers in March next year.

Perrin, who has grown up playing for Fordhouses, a side that plays in South Staffordshire Premier League, represented her national side at the inaugural women’s World Cup that was held in South Africa.

Perrin played four matches in that competition as England progressed to the final where they were eventually beaten by India after collapsing and being bowled out for 69 – a match Perrin did not feature in.

This training phase will prepare the players for the trip to Sri Lanka, but the overarching aim is to help the players prepare for the next World Cup – which will take place in Malaysia.

And 17-year-old Perrin will still be eligible to play in that competition. She was born in September and therefore, will be 18 by the time England head to Malaysia in January 2025.

She managed 36 runs and two wickets in the last World Cup as she played against the West Indies, Rwanda, Ireland and Zimbabwe.

There was no shortage of Midlands interest in the shape of Kingswinford’s Hannah Baker and Bridgnorth’s Ellie Anderson also in that squad.

Away from her international commitments Perrin was the youngest player to be involved in the women’s Hundred when she was picked up by the Birmingham Phoenix in 2022 - she also plays for the Central Sparks.

She will, once again, join up with head coach Chris Guest, another former Fordhouses player, who is now head coach of England.

Guest was in charge of the team that went to South Africa earlier this year, and is also the head coach at The Blaze and assistant coach at Northern Superchargers in the Hundred.

He will lead the coaching team for the winter camps assisted by Courtney Winfield-Hill and Darren Franklin.

At present, there are 20 players in the squad, but they will reduce that when the touring party is selected for the Sri Lanka tour.

Guest and Perrin have a long-standing relationship as, he revealed in an interview with the Express & Star earlier this year, he was the coach to deliver Perrin’s first-ever cricket session at Fordhouses.

He said watching her develop has been incredibly ‘rewarding’ which is something he looks as if he will continue doing into 2024.

England’s head of performance pathways Richard Bedbrook said: “The Tri-Series in Sri Lanka will see the group gain valuable development experience of playing in the subcontinent against challenging opposition and we’re really interested to see what learning players and staff can make from the opportunity.”