Otago Cricket are delighted to announce the appointment of our new Performance Coach, Ben McCord. 

Originally hailing from Timaru, McCord joins Otago Cricket with a wealth of experience having represented Canterbury as a right-arm fast and middle-to-lower order batsman. He has recently held the position as Director of Coaching & 1^st XI Coach at St Bede’s, as well as having worked throughout Canterbury’s player pathway as Head Coach of U17, U19 and Provincial A sides.

For 33-year-old McCord, the opportunity to pursue his passion in coaching, as well as challenge himself to produce promising cricketers were major factors in accepting the role.

“This role represents a huge opportunity for me to pursue my coaching career which I’m so passionate about”

“I’m excited at the prospect of helping produce good cricketers. It will be privilege to be able to help the current Volts & playing group to develop, but also to help aspiring players within our pathway!” said McCord. 

High Performance Manager, Simon Forde, stated that Ben’s passion for the game, along with his strengths as a bowling specialist, made him stand out among other applicants.

“Ben was outstanding throughout the recruitment process. He has great energy, playing experience and specialist skills as a bowling coach. He will add significant value to the Volts and throughout the pathway into the Provincial A environment. We are looking forward to having him on board.” said Forde.

While being a Canterbury man through-and-through, McCord is familiar to the Otago region having family in Dunedin, and commented on his ongoing respect for Otago sport.

“I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for Otago sport. The teams across various codes always seem to be close-nit and play for each other. The support base is always very passionate. Hopefully, we can give those fans plenty to get behind this season!” said McCord.

Ben’s young family (including wife Vicki, son’s Riley (5 years) and Reid (5 weeks)) will travel to Dunedin later this month, before commencing his role in early August.

*ENDS*

Article added: Thursday 22 July 2021