Nick Denning: Coach named for Hampshire Women's side

Nick Denning is a former MCC Young Cricketer and spent a season at Essex

Nick Denning has been appointed coach of the new Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL) side to be hosted in Hampshire.

Denning, 37, is a former right-hand batsman for Berkshire and coach of the county's women's set-up.

He will take charge of the as yet unnamed team, which will also include players from Dorset, Isle of Wight, Sussex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

"What the ECB are trying to do with the Women's Super League is very exciting," Denning told BBC Radio Solent.

"I think the biggest challenge will be getting a group of players together who are used to being rivals.

"Getting them to gel as a side and learning to play with each other, rather than against each other, will be key."

Denning, a former MCC Young Cricketer, spent a season with Essex in 2003 but failed to make a first-class appearance. He has been involved in coaching for more than 10 years.

The Hampshire WCSL side will create three regional training bases in Berkshire, Sussex and at Hampshire's Ageas Bowl.

What is the Women's Cricket Super League?

Six teams have been chosen as hosts for the inaugural WCSL, which will begin this summer as a Twenty20 format initially, before adding a 50-over competition in the future.

The group stage will run from 30 July to 14 August, with the top four teams qualifying for a finals day.

The south will have three teams - one based at The Oval with Surrey and another in the south west alongside Hampshire.

The north will have two sides, in Lancashire and Yorkshire, with Loughborough University representing the Midlands.