Cricket Wellington has appointed Leigh Kelly as the new Head Coach of the Wellington Blaze.
Leigh Kelly is a long-time player and former captain of the Petone-Riverside Wilkinson’s Pearce Cup and Hazlett Trophy Senior men’s intercity club cricket team and former captain and current player of the New Zealand indoor cricket team having spent over 12 years in that side. A batting all-rounder, Kelly played two first-class matches for the Wellington Firebirds in the 1998/99 season.
Kelly takes over from recently retired Blaze coach Mark Borthwick, for an initial period of two seasons.
Kelly’s vast experience and expertise were key attributes in him being appointed to the role said Cricket Wellington Director of Cricket Robbie Kerr: “We are thrilled to have secured the services of Leigh who is highly regarded as a leader over many years of indoor and outdoor cricket. Players who have played under Leigh have a huge respect for his cricket brain and his ability to find ways to win matches. I believe this is a very exciting appointment for the Blaze team.”
Kelly, who has for a long time been in the role of player-coach for the Petone-Riverside senior men’s cricket team as well as the coach of various representative indoor cricket teams, is looking forward to guiding the Blaze to a new era of success.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity of working with the best women’s cricketers in Wellington and I am relishing the chance to help guide the side to Action Cricket One-day and Action Twenty20 success in the next two seasons.
“With such a talented group of players in the Blaze set-up, I am looking forward to working with the Blaze’s current group of White Ferns and senior players and also enhancing the development of the next group of players coming through the ranks”.
