Former opener Nick Brown has been appointed head batting coach of Essex Women following the end of his playing career.
The left-hander scored nearly 9,000 runs in all formats of the county game, including 22 centuries, and twice helped Essex win the county championship.
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He will now work as an assistant to new head coach Stephen Parry as they look to achieve better results in the second season of fully professional women’s cricket in 2026.
“I spent some time with Essex Women in the summer and really enjoyed it, so it’s really exciting to be able to step into this role on a full-time basis,” Brown said.
“After retiring at the end of the season, I was determined to get into coaching and share some of the knowledge I’d gained over the years.”
Meanwhile, former Ireland international Keith Dalton has been appointed as seam bowling coach.
Essex finished seventh in the 2025 Women’s T20 Blast group stage, winning four of their 14 matches and finishing bottom of the table with just two wins in the 50-over one-day cup.
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“Throughout his career, Nick has shown tremendous professionalism and dedication to his game and Essex cricket,” director of cricket Chris Silverwood said.
“His professionalism, calm leadership and deep understanding of the game make him an ideal mentor for our women’s team.”
Dalton, who played more than 50 games for Essex during her career, said: “My experience of representing Ireland internationally and playing for the England academy has been invaluable and it feels right to bring that experience back to a club that gave me so many early opportunities and helped shape my development.”
There will be nine teams in Division One status in the women’s competition next year, with Yorkshire joining the eight teams from season one.
