Derbyshire chief so grateful for Welch’s impact
DERBYSHIRE chief executive Simon Storey has paid tribute to Graeme Welch after he resigned as their elite performance director.
Welch opted to leave with six months left on his three-year contract.
Storey said: “Any resignation of the coach is not taken lightly.
“The situation is a matter between the club and the coach, but what we can say is that the club is extremely grateful for the contribution Graeme made over the last two and a half years.
“When you look at the development of some of the players Graeme has brought through - Mark Footitt, for example, represented Derbyshire in the Ashes squad. We’ve also seen the progress of Shiv Thakor this year.
“We also look at the increased professionalism, the culture and work ethic, which provides really strong foundations for the future.
“Results, clearly, have been disappointing and that’s something we recognise. The job of the elite performance director is to deliver results, but also to show progress in development and for that we are grateful for the contribution Graeme has made.
“We always said the vision for Derbyshire County Cricket Club was to become a sustainable, competitive Championship side, but also we want to compete for the limited-overs silverware.
“We know it is an increasingly popular form of the game and we know it will help us as a club competing in these formats, as well as being very competitive in the four-day game, which ultimately is the training ground for England Test cricketers.
“It’s a long-term game and along the way we need to see progress in terms of results and development of players.”