Beaumont aiming for tour success

It has come sooner than she expected but new England wicketkeeper Tamsin Beaumont is determined to make the most of her call-up to the national side.

With regular keeper Sarah Taylor taking a break from the game, 18-year-old Beaumont has been picked by England to tour the West Indies next month.

"I thought it would take a lot longer. I was thinking in the next two years I might get in," Beaumont told BBC Sport.

"But I want to enjoy myself and take the opportunity I've been given."

Beaumont, who also opens the batting as well as keeping wicket for Kent, could be forgiven for feeling nervous ahead of joining up with the England side for their trip to the Caribbean.

In the last 12 months, the national team have swept aside all before them, winning both the World Cup and World Twenty20 as well as successfully defending the Ashes against the touring Australians.

Now unquestionably the number one side in the world, the team is comprised of players whose profiles have risen as a result of their achievements, including captain Charlotte Edwards and ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year Claire Taylor.

"The standard of the women's game has got higher since I started playing. There are a lot more girls playing and a lot more competition and I think we're getting a lot more recognition now for how good the women's game is"

However, Beaumont, who kept wicket in the England Women's Academy matches against an ICC Europe XI in August and was an integral part of the Kent side that won the County Championship, refuses to be overawed.

"It's a great time to be part of the England side now and they are a great bunch of girls," she said.

"I've played with some of them and against a lot of them. They all seem very friendly so I'm sure I'll fit in really easily.

"I think Kent's successful season will help as well.

"You can transfer success and the way Kent is run and the way we work there can hopefully feed into the England team."

Beaumont's transition to the international scene from the county game should also be assisted by national skipper Edwards also being the young keeper's captain at Kent.

Both Edwards and Beaumont have made telling contributions to the 10-game run of successive wins that secured the County Championship for Kent, the latter's highlight being a superb 136 from 144 balls in the match against Surrey at Beckenham in August.

Beaumont admitted that Edwards had phoned her after she had been selected with words of encouragement - most notably that "the hard work starts now".

The youngster certainly has a tough task ahead of her to fill the shoes of the woman she is replacing.

Sussex wicketkeeper and opening batter Sarah Taylor is one of the finest talents to emerge into the England team for many years and played an integral role in the team's 2009 success.

While Beaumont is doubtful that she will be asked to undertake Taylor's role at the top of the batting order, she is aware that her predecessor sets a high benchmark to follow with the gloves.

"Sarah is a brilliant wicketkeeper and if I can be nearly as good then I won't have done too badly," said Beaumont.

England are due to play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches against the West Indies in St Kitts as they prepare for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, the group stages of which will be played on the same island.

Helping England to success on her first tour is Beaumont's chief aim, but she admits that the trip will give the side a good opportunity to acclimatise for next May's tournament.

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"We want to continue the success that the team has had over the summer and we are looking to win the series (both ODI and T20) first and foremost," she said.

"Secondly, I think we will try and work out what the conditions are like out there ready for the World Cup next year.

"I don't think the England team have toured West Indies in quite a long time so it could be a new experience for most of us."

Although the West Indies currently lag behind the likes of England, Australia and New Zealand, Beaumont admits that the general standard of the women's game has improved in recent years, which along with England's recent success has led to a better public awareness.

"I definitely think the standard of the women's game has got higher since I started playing," said Beaumont. "There are a lot more girls playing and a lot more competition and I think we're getting a lot more recognition now for how good the women's game is.

"I remember going for my Kent trial when I was 10 and there were only about 13 girls trialling and I know now because I've got a friend who is a coach that they trial about 30 girls, all under 11."

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