Cricket director Mike Watkinson leaves Lancashire after 32 years at Old Trafford
Monday 6 October 2014 18:20, UK
Mike Watkinson has ended his long association with Lancashire after stepping down from his role as the club's cricket director.
The 53-year-old announced he is "looking forward to a new challenge" as he confirmed he would be leaving the Red Rose county after a successful 32 years at Old Trafford.
Watkinson was instrumental in Lancashire's dominance of one-day domestic cricket in the 1990s, captaining the club to back-to-back Benson & Hedges Cup titles in 1995 and 1996 as well as the NatWest Trophy.
The reliable all-rounder featured in nine domestic limited-overs triumphs between 1984 and 1999, although he played in only one one-day international for England in addition to four Test appearances.
Watkinson scored over 10,000 runs in 308 first-class appearances and claimed 739 wickets before retiring to concentrate on his coaching career.
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He was England's assistant coach on three overseas tours under Duncan Fletcher, while he was also an influential member of Lancashire's management team when they won their first County Championship crown in 57 years in 2011.
But after five years as cricket director, Watkinson has decided to seek a new challenge in his career after a disappointing summer which culminated in Lancashire being relegated from the top tier of the County Championship.
Watkinson said: "After enjoying a long and successful career at Lancashire County Cricket Club, I am now looking forward to a new challenge and would like to wish all the players and staff at the club all the best for the future."
Lancashire chairman, Michael Cairns, said: "I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude to Mike Watkinson for his long-term service to Lancashire County Cricket Club as player, captain, Cricket Manager and Cricket Director.
"On behalf of everybody connected with LCCC I would like to wish Mike well with his future endeavours."
