Central Districts Cricket has announced the amateur game’s coaching staff for the 2016 – 17 season.

Jamie Watkins from Taranaki Cricket takes on the role of Provincial A coach after 12 seasons coaching the Central Under 19 side.

Debu Banik, also from Taranaki Cricket, becomes the Under 19 coach. He has coached the Taranaki men’s side and will remain as head coach for the Taranaki team. He has also held Central Districts Cricket positions as manager for both the Under 19 and Under 17 sides.

Dilan Raj of Wanganui Cricket has been retained as Under 17 coach. Raj has held the Under 17 coaching role since the 2012 -13 season and prior to that had coached various Central Districts Cricket age groups.

Nigel Brooke, District Services Manager for CD, remains in the coaching role for the Central Hinds and U21 Women’s teams.

Central Districts Chief Executive, Pete de Wet is delighted with the outcome “We are pleased with these appointments, and I am confident that our teams will benefit immensely from their coaching experience” said de Wet. “As we continue to look to the future of CD Cricket, the role of our representative coaches is a very important one, in the moulding of our young talent.”

After 12 years working with the U19 team, Jamie Watkins is relishing the opportunity to influence the progression of the next tier up

“In my role as development officer for Taranaki Cricket, I get to see the depth of talent we have in the Central Districts region,” said Watkins. “I’m looking forward to assisting these guys, in the next phase of their cricket careers, as they strive to play for the Stags.”

Debu Banik is no stranger to the U19 set-up, having been the teams manager previously.

“It will be a good experience after having managed the Under 19s for 5 years. I will enjoy this chance I’ve been given.”

Having held the position of U17 coach for four years, Dilan Raj is looking forward to another season in this role.

“It is a privilege to be coaching the CD U17s again.  The players come from two islands and eight districts – and for many, it is their first National tournament representing CD. The priority is to gel the individuals into a TEAM and build on our successful CD culture,” Says Raj.

“A high percentage of our age group representatives continue to Stags honours and it is both exciting and rewarding to be a small part of that growth. Our U17 coaching team looks forward to the challenge of creating a learning rich environment to compete successfully at the National Tournament in January 2017,” he said

“As summer approaches, the foundation has been laid for a successful amateur campaign.  With the strength and depth of talent across the CD Region, we are confident our teams will represent the Central Districts region with distinction,” concludes de Wet.