WELCH: IT WAS A NO-BRAINER TO GO TO LEICS
AFTER a three-month break, Graeme Welch admits he had no hesitation grasping the opportunity to join Leicestershire as assistant coach with both hands.
The 44-year-old resigned as Derbyshire’s elite performance director back in June, but as soon as former Warwickshire teammate Wasim Khan picked up the phone he knew his next destination was Grace Road.
He will link up with new head coach Pierre de Bruyn, who was promoted to the helm last week after replacing the departing Andrew McDonald.
The Foxes are evidently a side on the up, going from a two-year Championship winless streak to a side who have pushed for promotion this season.
But Welch still believes he is getting in on the ground floor.
“Looking in from afar, you can see the club’s improving,” he said. “The ground’s improving, Wasim’s ambitious, there’s a great feeling round the city so it is a good county to join and a good time to do so.
“Wasim and I both started at the same time at Warwickshire, and were both there for a few years until he moved on, but we’ve kept in touch since and I’m glad he has done so well and forged a good career for himself. He’s driving Leicestershire forward.
“There’s 18 counties and there are only 36 jobs really in terms of head coach and their assistants, so I’ve been very fortunate – the timing has been perfect.
“I’m ready to get back into it now; I’ve had three or four months off just doing some oneto-ones and private coaching, but I’m really excited about the future.
“I was at the club the other day and every time I’ve been there, there seems to be something new and exciting happening.
“There’s definitely a feel-good factor around the place, they’ve improved a lot this year, and they have made some good signings both this year and for next.”
Already a very well-respected coach, Welch has experience with England Lions in Dubai and was even invited by Trevor Bayliss last week to Trent Bridge to observe the England team preparing for their one-day clash with Pakistan.
But it is his extensive county experience – having racked up 685 wickets and 7,089 runs as a professional for Derbyshire and Warwickshire – that he believes de Bruyn will lean on the most.
He added: “I’ve only seen [Pierre] once when Leicestershire came to Derbyshire last year and we didn’t really have much of a conversation, but I’ve done my research on him and we’ve shared a few phone calls.
“He seems to be singing from the same hymnsheet as me; he’s values based, he likes hard work, and speaking to him on the phone I can feel I’m definitely going to enjoy it.
“Obviously I’ve been in the English game for a long time now and Pierre hasn’t. So I’ll offer up as much experience as I can to him, but he’s my boss at the end of the day so he will instruct me.
“But I’ll be 100 per cent behind him; anything he wants, I’ll be there for him.”