Alan Richardson: Warwickshire bowling coach leaves Edgbaston for second time

Alan Richardson's career peaked with 254 first-class wickets for his final county Worcestershire before returning to Edgbaston as a coach

Warwickshire have parted company with bowling coach Alan Richardson, who has left 'by mutual consent' following the Bears' relegation to Division Two in the County Championship.

The 42-year-old former Warwickshire, Middlesex and Worcestershire paceman retired from playing to return to Edgbaston to coach in January 2014.

"It has been an experience I'll never forget," said Richardson.

"To reach two Lord's finals and three T20 finals days makes it memorable."

For all the Bears' limited-over success, Warwickshire were relegated from the top flight by 61 points, losing nine of their 14 Championship matches, five of them by an innings.

They picked up 31 bowling bonus points out of a possible 42 in 2017, the lowest total in Division One.

After arriving at Edgbaston in 1999 from his native Staffordshire, where he played Minor Counties cricket, Richardson took 163 first-class wickets in 63 matches for the Bears.

He then spent five years with Middlesex from 2005 before returning to the Midlands in 2010 with Worcestershire, for whom he took 254 wickets in four seasons.

Richardson was voted as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year in 2012, when he took 73 Championship wickets at the age of 36 to help keep the Pears in Division One.