Tennant to become head coach of Ireland's women's team

Cricket Ireland has announced that Lloyd Tennant will become the new head coach of Ireland's women's team.

Tennant has 30 years of experience in coaching and has worked with England's Female Academy and A Team.

A former professional with Leicestershire and Essex, he was also assistant coach at Manchester Originals and was women and girls' talent manager at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for two years.

The 57-year-old will replace the outgoing Ed Joyce and take up his new position from 1 June.

Joyce announced he would leave the role in February and his final matches were April's ICC Women's World Cup qualifiers, when Ireland failed to qualify for the tournament.

"I'm very excited about this new role - it's such a great time to be involved in women's cricket, given its rapid development around the world," Tennant said.

"This Ireland Women's squad has moved forward enormously under the guidance of Ed Joyce, and I would like to continue his great work, supporting this squad as it continues to grow. To be honest, I can't wait to get started."

Graeme West, Cricket Ireland's director of high performance, said Tennant was an "outstanding candidate".

"He brings an abundance of expertise and knowledge, with the additional capacity to educate, that I am confident will advance the players and staff he leads," West said.

"He has a track record in harnessing potential and sustaining players' progress.

"We believe Lloyd is the perfect fit for the current national squad that has an abundance of young talent."