MOVING from understudy wicketkeeper to first team coach inside five years is a dramatic rise, but Kent’s Simon Willis is not daunted by the challenge.

Having turned 30 last month, Willis is the youngest level four coach in England and one third of the county's new coaching team that includes Paul Farbrace and Chris Stone.

Willis is positively relishing the prospect of working with and managing his former team-mates

He said: "I've always been someone who liked to keep as many avenues open as possible.

"At Kent I had choices to go down the admin route with a view to perhaps becoming a county chief executive at some stage, or to pursue coaching.

"I had an open mind, but things evolved more towards coaching one day when Rob Key came and asked me to have a look at his game a couple of years back.

"We had a session in the nets and the next day he went out and got a hundred at Leicester.

"The momentum in coaching took care of itself after that, but the top job has come a lot sooner than I ever envisaged.”

During his time at Kent, Willis has been fortunate to work with highly regarded coaches like Daryl Foster, John Wright, John Inverarity and Ian Brayshaw.

He added: "I'm going into it with a coaching style that will be pro-active and changeable.

"As to whether five years is long enough out of the dressing room before going back, well perhaps time will tell, but I think that depends on your character.

"As a player I was a little bit aloof as a character, so it's possibly that little bit easier for me to go back so soon.”

Willis revealed he was offered a coaching role at Gloucestershire, but was happy to accept a job at his home county.

He said: "I'm a Kent lad through and through, so to play a part in producing a successful team here was too good an opportunity to turn down."

As part of the learning process, Willis spent a month in Australia and New Zealand this winter brushing up on the latest coaching techniques.

"I was exposed to an incredible amount of information in a very short period of time," he explained.

"I've come back with quite a few ideas, many of which I've put to the club as our way forward in years to come.

"Pre-season training will be more intense and shorter than in recent years so, come April 16, the guys will turn up feeling hungry and wanting a game of cricket.

"Strong work ethic and good attitude will be my bywords and they will hopefully contribute toward success on the field."