David Ripley: Northants head coach to step down after 10 years in role
- Published
David Ripley served as Northants Second XI boss and Academy Director before becoming head coach
Northamptonshire head coach David Ripley is to step down from his current role at the end of the season and take up a new position within the club.
Yorkshireman Ripley, who turns 55 next week, has been on the staff at Wantage Road since 1982.
He made his Second XI debut as a 16-year-old, going on to serve the county as a wicketkeeper-batsman until 2001.
"I've had my time I think, that was just the bottom line," Ripley told BBC Radio Northampton.
"I've been fortunate enough to have some highs - that's why I've done the nine years - if you don't have the highs you don't get too long in the head coach's role.
"There's been some tough times as well and I think eventually they just caught up with me."
Ripley joined the coaching staff in 2012, going on to succeed the late David Capel as coach midway through the season that same year.
Northants twice won the T20 under his command, in 2013 and 2016 - and twice won promotion in the County Championship.
But the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and delayed start to a severely curtailed campaign, followed by this summer's reorganisation in red-ball cricket, prevented them from taking up their place.
Northants are finishing the 2021 season in Division Two of the reformed County Championship, having finished second-last in their group in the One-Day Cup - and bottom of their group in the T20 Blast.
"When we finished bottom of the T20 league that was pretty much me done and thinking it's time to hand it over to somebody else," Ripley said.
He will now coach youth players at the club.
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