Richardson and Bears part after disastrous year

WARWICKSHIRE are on the hunt for a new bowling coach after Alan Richardson left the club by mutual consent.

Richardson, 42, joined the Bears in January 2014 at the end of a long and successful playing career which included spells with Warwickshire and Middlesex before arriving at New Road, Worcestershire.

During his four seasons as bowling coach at Edgbaston, Richardson has been part of a squad and coaching group that has enjoyed continued success, including winning the T20 Blast in 2014 and lifting the One-Day Cup in 2016.

Richardson said: “I would like to thank all the players, staff and members for their support during my time back at the club. It has been an experience I’ll never forget and to have reached two Lord’s finals and three T20 finals days in four seasons makes it all the more memorable. I wish everyone involved with Warwickshire all the best for the future.”

For all of Warwickshire’s success with the white ball, they were relegated from Division One of the County Championship by 61 points this year, losing nine of their 14 Championship matches, five of them by an innings. They also picked up just 32 bowling points, the lowest in the top tier.

Ashley Giles, sport director at Warwickshire added: “We would like to thank Richo for his contribution to the club over the last four years. He is an extremely popular member of staff and has been part of a coaching team that has enjoyed success in the T20 Blast in 2014 and One-Day Cup in 2016 and we wish him the very best as he moves on to his next challenge.”

Richardson arrived at Edgbaston in 1999 from Minor Counties cricket, where he played for Staffordshire.

He then spent five years with Middlesex from 2005 before moving to Worcestershire in 2010 where he took 254 wickets in four seasons.

Richardson was voted as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year in 2012, when he took 73 County Championship wickets at the age of 36 to help keep the Pears in Division One.