Jenny aims to be top Gunn

Jenny Gunn

Jenny Gunn is hoping for a few more champagne moments with England

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Being the daughter of a European Cup winner must be a hard act to follow but Jenny Gunn has added a few more chapters to her family’s sporting heritage.

Bryn Gunn, Jenny's dad, lifted European club football's greatest prize when he came on as a second half substitute for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest to help them beat Hamburg 1-0 in the 1980 final.

It was Jenny's turn to grab the headlines 24 years later when she made her Test debut for England, aged just 17.

For a household to have a European Cup winner's medal is special enough but add an international cricketer and that's truly exceptional. But Gunn junior is not finished quite yet and the 22-year-old is hoping the next 12 months will be her crowning glory, starting with West Indies at Loughborough on Friday.

"I’m really excited," she told ecb.co.uk. "We have had a lot of Super 4s, county cricket and club cricket so I can’t wait to get the three lions back on again and hit the ground running against the West Indies.

"I have not seen them too much but they seem to play in the traditional Caribbean way. They will look to smash the ball. They just beaten Ireland and the Netherlands quite convincingly so it will be interesting to see how they go against slightly better opposition."

England coach Mark Lane has named his squad for the two one-day internationals with the Windies and handed a first call-up to Somerset's 16-year-old all-rounder Anya Shrubsole.

"We have had a few changes - there are a few new girls in the side so it will be interesting to see how they do," added Gunn, who supports Blackburn despite living in Nottingham and her father's glorious history with Forest.

"Anya will hopefully make her debut soon. She has had a really good Super 4s. She is only 16 but she seems like she has been around for ever. She deserves her spot and I wish her all the best.

"She is quite quick and gives it a good smash at the end. She is an all-rounder and will be a big player for England in the years to come."

The talent pool runs deep though with a number of youngsters knocking on the door.

Jenny Gunn & Leonie Coleman

Gunn goes on the attack against Australia last winter

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"There are some great young girls coming through," insisted Gunn. "Katie Cross is an up and coming bowler and good fielder. Georgia Elwiss, another young bowler, has bowled really well in Super 4s. It’s great for women’s cricket because it means the people in the team have got to keep performing."

Playing the West Indies is merely the hors d'oeuvre for what should be a mouthwatering 12 months which sees South Africa and India touring towards the end of the summer before attention turns to the World Cup in March and the ICC World Twenty20 three months later.

"We will be looking to win 2-0 against the West Indies and then move on to South Africa and India which will be a big test," added Gunn.

"The World Cup is next year. There is a lot of cricket now and every international game is a build up to the World Cup. Every performance counts so I want to keep improving.

"I can’t wait to play in the World Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup. It’s the first ever one and it’s great to play in your own country. Hopefully we will play in the final at Lord’s in front of a big crowd – it does not get any better than that."

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