GRANGE and Scotland wicket keeper Simon Smith is to fly out to South Africa tomorrow as coach of the national women's cricket side who are looking to qualify for the World Cup.
And he believes the quality of opposition the women will face over the next ten days in Stellenbosch will be a "great experience" for them.
Smith said: "We know it is going to be tough, but we are all going to give our best. I have worked with ar
ound half of the squad before and helped coach them at the Euros in Cardiff previously so it will be a good coaching experience for me too."
Scotland have named a squad of 14, led by new captain Fiona Urquhart, to play with the likes of former George Watson's College pupil Caroline Sweetman included. The Scots will be playing against Zimbabwe, Ireland and Pakistan in the first stage of the qualification tournament, from which the two finalists will qualify for the World Cup itself, which will take place in Australia next year.
"The girls are unlikely to have played such intense cricket before in the heat. It is a good challenge," Smith added.
The first match is against Zimbabwe at Van Der Stel Cricket Club on Monday.
Scotland squad: Fiona Urquhart, Kari Anderson, Kathryn White, Charlotte Bascombe, Abbi Aitken, Catherine Smaill, Fiona Campbell, Caroline Sweetman, Leigh Kasperek, Sahar Aslam, Charlotte Farr, Diane Pedgrift, Vhari Maxwell, Paula Ritchie.
The full article contains 245 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
