David Ripley to face down as Northants head trainer after ten seasons

Position synonymous with two T20 Blast titles in 2013 and 2016, and two Championship promotions

Ripley, who took over from the past due David Capel in 2012, guided Northamptonshire to 2 primary trophies, the T20 Blast titles in 2013 and 2016, whilst additionally overseeing two promotions to the highest flight of the County Championship, in 2013 and 2019.

His choice to face down, on the age of 54, used to be published to the membership club at their Annual Normal Assembly at Wantage Highway on Tuesday night time, the place it used to be additionally showed he’s going to be staying on on the membership to take in “a special training function”.

Ripley knowledgeable his avid gamers of the verdict on Sunday, previous to the beginning in their ongoing County Championship fixture in opposition to Surrey at Northampton. He’s going to stay in command of the primary group for his or her ultimate two fixtures of the season, at house to Durham this week, and away to Essex within the ultimate spherical.

Regardless of some reasonably lean years lately, Ripley’s mythical standing is confident at Wantage Highway, thank you specifically to the 2013 T20 Blast triumph. In his first complete season in rate, he joined forces with membership captain Alex Wakely to ship the county’s first silverware in 21 years, and did so in the middle of a monetary squeeze on the membership, throughout the early adoption of one of these data-driven recruitment this is now usual amongst T20 groups.

That preliminary aspect contained a raft of robust ball-strikers in Richard Levi, Cameron White, Ben Duckett, Josh Cobb and David Willey, and duly crushed Surrey through 102 runs in a rain-affected ultimate at Edgbaston. The similar captain/trainer mixture then cemented their standing through guiding Northants to a 2d Blast name 3 years later, when Durham this time had been edged out through 4 wickets, once more at Edgbaston.

Even if Ripley used to be additionally a success in serving to Northants punch above their weight in first class cricket with two promotions to the highest flight, it used to be the membership’s pedigree as a T20 outfit that outlined his tenure, and chatting with BBC Northampton, he admitted their shortcomings on this season’s Blast marketing campaign had made up his thoughts, when they completed backside of the North Workforce with 4 wins from 13.

“I’ve been right here prior to, in 2019 I used to be difficult myself as as to if I used to be nonetheless taking the gang ahead,” Ripley instructed BBC Northampton.
“Clearly we then were given promotion and we had some luck, after which some new coaches arrived [John Sadler and Chris Liddle].

“That modified the dynamic just a little bit and I fed off that, and we have now clearly had the pandemic to get thru.

“But if we completed backside of the T20 league I believe that used to be just about me carried out, and considering it used to be time at hand it over to any individual else. I’ve had my time, I believe this is simply the base line.

“I’m lucky sufficient to have had some highs, this is the reason I’ve carried out 9 years, as a result of for those who do not need the highs you do not get too lengthy within the head trainer’s function.

“However there was some tricky instances as neatly, and I believe in the end it has stuck up with me.”
As a lifelong servant of the membership, Ripley performed 306 first class suits for Northants between 1984 and 2001, scoring 8,681 runs (with 9 masses) and claimed 752 dismissals in the back of the stumps, 2d handiest to Keith Andrew within the membership’s all-time record.

He additionally performed 281 Checklist A suits for the county, and used to be a member of the aspect that defeated Leicestershire at Lord’s to win the 1992 NatWest Trophy.