New coaches bring fresh perspectives
New head coaches have been named for Taranaki Cricket’s senior representative cricket teams.
The Good Home Taranaki Men will be coached by Chris Coombe, while the Bartercard Taranaki Women will be guided by Debu Banik.
Chris, who is also Taranaki Cricket’s director of cricket, steps into the men’s role after a successful season with the Taranaki Women’s team last season in which they finished second in the Central Districts Mike Shrimpton Trophy competition.
Meanwhile, Debu, Taranaki Cricket Association’s (TCA) performance coach, has headed up the men’s programme for the past eight seasons.
Taranaki Cricket general manager Ryan Evans says the shakeup to the coaching staff was about keeping things fresh and bringing different perspectives and strengths to the teams.
“Eight years is a long tenure for any coach to have with a sports team, so we knew the time was right for a change with the men. We were really happy with the work Chris did with the women’s side last year, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can produce with a different team to work with.”
Debu was the perfect fit for a women’s team on the rise and with an exciting programme on the way for the season, Ryan says.
“Debu has an outstanding record of coaching the top talent in this region, with names like Will Young and Tom Bruce top of the list. We knew with Chris moving on to the men’s team we needed an experienced coach to continue on with the work he had started, and we’re really pleased we can continue to grow the women’s side with a coach of Debu’s standing.”
The teams’ schedules are set for confirmation in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Chris has called for Taranaki clubs to nominate players for the first pre-season training squad practices and fitness sessions, starting this month.