HWCC Announces 2026 Coaching Structure and Club Leadership

As we enter the 2026 season, winter training is already underway for all areas of the club as we build towards pre-season and what we hope will be a successful summer of cricket. 

Following the news that Chris Burnard and Tyler Armiger have stepped away from our junior set-up, Chairman Chris Sketchley shared his thanks “I’d like to thank Chris and Tyler at Inspire 2b Active for their support over the last 3 years. The success and results of our juniors, and growth of our Women's section has been there for all to see. We’re pleased to be staying connected through the community outreach programmes they will continue to run, which will also help introduce young players to the club."

We have a new structure for the 2026 season with all coaching being delivered directly by HWCC. The new appointments of Obi Sarwar as Head Coach, Ben Triggs Head of Junior Cricket, Maisie Taylor Women's Cricket Development Manager and Matt Dodds as Club Captain and continues as Senior Batting Coach. Shaun Coker continues as Head of Men’s Cricket as does Anna Cooper as Head of Women's Cricket.

Our highly successful Academy and EPP will continue to be led by Obi Sarwar and Matt Dodds as Academy Directors, supported by Shaun Coker, Charlie Lane, Micheal Lapham, Ben Hughes & Mark Randall. The benefits of the last 8 years of our Academy and EPP are really showing the fruits of their labour with 25+ juniors playing in our senior sides over the last 12 months, with three of those Academy players going on to get their first team caps. 

Each section will be led by the following coaches and Captains

Club Captain Matt Dodds 

Senior Mens 

• Head of Men's Cricket - Shaun Coker

• Head Coach - Obi Sarwar

• Senior Batting Coach - Matt Dodds

• 1st XI Captain - Cameron Parsons

• 2nd XI Captain - Sammy Parry

• 3rd XI Captain - Andy Higgins

• 4th XI Captain - Iain Hill

• 5th XI Captain - Mark Randall

• 6th XI Captain - Micheal Lapham

• Sunday SESCL Captain - Will Hayes

Senior Women’s

• Head of Women's Cricket - Anna Cooper

• Women's & Girls Cricket Development Manager - Maisie Taylor

• Head Coach - Obi Sarwar

• Women's Captain - Anna Cooper

Juniors 

• Head of Junior Cricket - Ben Triggs 

• Head Coach - Obi Sarwar

• U17 Coach - Jake Holmes (2026 Overseas) assisted by Ben Triggs

• U15 Coach - Michael Lapham assisted by Simon Byrne 

• U15 Willows Coach - Maisie Taylor

• U15 Willows manager - Anna Cooper

• U14 Coach - Michael Lapham assisted by Megan Lapham

• U13 Coach - Mark Randall

• U12 Coach - Ben Hughes

• U11 Coach - Liam Coady

• U10 Coach - Ben Triggs

• U9 Coach - Megan Lapham

• All Stars & Dynamos - Ben Triggs, Michael Lapham, Megan Lapham

We caught up with some of the coaches ahead of the 2026 season. 

Speaking Head of Men's Cricket Shaun Coker on the 2025 season “2025 was an outstanding year for HWCC. 1st, 3rd and 4th XI’s winning their leagues, with the 5th XI earning promotion finishing 2nd in a tough league. We found fantastic balance between juniors and seniors. The experienced players stood up with both performances but also guidance for our junior players. What was lovely to see was the juniors not just making up numbers in all of our senior sides, but having big contributions to our success. This is something we look to continue to build on and already looks like we will have even more juniors representing our senior sides in 2026.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign while we move through the winter training program “As we head into the 2026 season, our focus is on building strong habits, playing positive cricket, and creating an environment where players feel challenged and the confidence to express themselves. We want clear standards in training both in approach and mentality that enables our players to remain accountable when they step on to the pitch.”

On the relationship he has with Obi Sarwar and Matt Dodds “I’m really pleased to be starting this next chapter with Obi as Head Coach and excited by the talent and commitment across the club. The appointment of Matt as Club Captain is a big positive, his leadership, experience, and role as Senior Batting Coach will be key in setting the tone both on and off the field for players across the club.”

On the experience added by Matt Pardoe “We’re also delighted to welcome Matt Pardoe into the 1st XI. His experience and cricketing insight will be a real asset as we look to compete hard, keep improving, and prepare the next generation to take the club forward with confidence.”

Our newly appointed Head of Junior Cricket Ben Triggs having joined the club for the upcoming season while also supporting the club on the commercial side is very optimistic about the upcoming season “It's an honour to be leading junior cricket here at HWCC. Growing up in Wycombe, cricket was such a huge part of my childhood. I'm delighted now to support juniors with a great set up to enjoy the game, continuously improve and maximise their potential in the sport.”

On Chris and Tyler's work over the last 3 years “It's been brilliant taking over from Chris and Tyler - their hard work has built something special at the club. I'm excited to continue this and take it to new levels over the coming years. For 2026, the goal for HWCC’s junior section is the same: offer high quality, competitive and sociable cricket for all junior players to support their development and love of the game. I'm excited for the year ahead”. Inspire 2B Active will continue to support the club with its community outreach programme. 

With our Men's and Junior sections having a very successful 2025, our Women's section equally had great success. Anna Cooper reflected on the 2025 season while also looking ahead at the 2026 season “2025 marked an important milestone for our women’s section as we put a team into a full 11-a-side league alongside the softball league and festivals and the 8-a-side development league we had previously entered. There were lots of opportunities for everyone, at all levels of experience and confidence, and we are pleased that our squad continues to grow. Results were mixed but included highlights such as beating the league winners during the first game of the season. Whilst our bowling and fielding compared favourably with more successful teams in the league, our batting was not as strong and so is our priority during winter training.

We have our newly appointed Women's Development Manager Maisie Taylor now in place for the 2026 season, coming onboard to support the development of our Women and Girls.

“We are delighted to welcome Maisie Taylor as our new coach. Experienced as both a player with Bucks Women's Cricket and a coach, Maisie brings in depth knowledge and experience of the women’s game and lots of enthusiasm to continue building on the excellent foundation that has been set over the past few years. We also welcome new players, both those new to the game and some more experienced players. We’re excited for the season ahead, starting with an indoor league through the winter and spring before moving outside to the same wide variety of competitions throughout the summer”. 

We also spoke with new Club Captain Matt Dodds and Club Head Coach Obi Sarwar about the upcoming season, “High quality coaching is vital for player development and something we have invested in for many years. The structure we have put in place shows our continued commitment to this aspect of the club for 2026, which we hope will be rewarded by results on the field.” Matt mentioned, while our Head Coach gave his view across the whole club “We’re in a brilliant position as a club heading into the 2026 season. Three months into our winter season, our juniors are developing fast, with former age group players now stepping confidently into senior sides the teams we are creating are only getting younger. The same buzz is echoing through our Women’s section. It's not just growing, it’s thriving with talent, drive, and potential that’s promising a very successful season this summer. As a head coach, I am confident that with structured preparation and team commitment we will achieve the goals we have set out for the 2026 season!”

Chairman Chris Sketchley with some final thoughts on the new structure at the club which is something that has been years of learning and adjustments “I’m delighted to see the structure we now have in place at the club. With all of our coaching now being managed out of the club once again, but with a different approach than we have previously ran which traditionally was a single Director of Cricket covering multiple areas. The new structure utilises several key individuals biggest strengths to lead us gives me great confidence as Chairman with recent appointments of Obi as Head Coach, Ben as Head of Junior Cricket, Maisie in the role of Women’s Development Manager and Matt as Club Captain alongside Shaun, Head of Senior Cricket and Anna Head of Women’s cricket, the future is extremely bright as we move in to the next chapter of the clubs history.”