New boss at Canty Cricket

Jeremy Curwin will swap Taunton’s County Ground for Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.

The Englishman was appointed Canterbury Cricket’s new chief executive yesterday, replacing former New Zealand and Canterbury captain Lee Germon, who has finished up after nine years in the job.

Germon is moving to Sydney to become general manager of Australian Big Bash side, the Sydney Thunder.

Curwin has spent the past five years at Somerset County Cricket Club in Taunton in southwest England, where he was head of commercial operations.

Canterbury Cricket chairman Ashley Taggart said in a statement Curwin was the standout candidate in a ‘‘very qualified’’ field of applicants.

He brought a strong understanding of elite sport and running highly motivated teams towards goals and a common vision.

Curwin excelled as being a strategic thinker with a high attention to detail and possessed excellent leadership skills, Taggart said.

In his time at Somerset, he significantly improved their sponsorship revenue, as well as bucking the national trend in the United Kingdom by increasing the club’s membership base.

He introduced a media and digital strategy that led to an increased social media following at the Somerset club.

Curwin will start in the role in late September.