Westwood in as Robinson leaves in Bears reshuffle

Ian Westwood (left) steps up to replace Mark Robinson as first-team coach

Warwickshire have parted company with first-team coach Mark Robinson and replaced him with Ian Westwood in a major reshuffle at Edgbaston.

Former Bears opener Westwood, 42, who had been assistant coach, takes over with immediate effect.

Former Sussex and World Cup-winning England women's boss Robinson, 58, who was appointed by the Bears in January 2021, leaves "by mutual consent".

After winning the abbreviated County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy in his first season in charge in the post-Covid 2021 campaign, the Bears have since struggled to match that.

They only narrowly stayed in Division One of the Championship in 2022, and won just one game out of 14 in 2024.

They have also failed badly in the knockout stages in the T20 Blast, reaching the last eight - but each time losing, three of them on home soil at Edgbaston. And social media criticism of Robinson by fans that night in early September had reached toxic levels.

Meanwhile, highly popular Bears fast bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby, 36, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association.

Further changes at Edgbaston

The Bears are currently without a performance director following the departure of Gavin Larsen back to New Zealand in late November - but said they were close to an appointment.

The other changes implemented following a detailed 'high-performance review' led by chief executive Stuart Cain include batting coach Tony Frost taking up a new role as head of cricket operations.

This involves ground maintenance at the Bears' second home in the city at Portland Road, games at their current out-ground, Rugby School, and the Edgbaston indoor cricket centre, as well as the club's data and analysis department.

Former Lancashire and England spinner Simon Kerrigan moves from the academy to become second XI coach, including "specialist spin bowling support", and they are planning to bring in a men's batting coach to succeed Frost and Westwood, while Stuart Barnes remains as bowling coach.

Paul Greetham switches from the Bears academy's high-performance manager to take on the newly created job of head of athlete performance - including medical, physiotherapy, sports psychology, nutrition, and strength and conditioning departments - and will also oversee the Bears county age groups.

The women's side remains untouched, with Laura Macleod as head of high performance, accompanied by first-team coach Alastair Maiden.

'T20 Blast failure was last straw' - analysis

By Clive Eakin, BBC CWR

The highlight of Mark Robinson's four-year tenure was winning the County Championship at his first attempt - the Bears' first title in nine years.

Hampered by injuries and the lack of availability of their marquee overseas signings, the Bears were unable to recapture such heights.

They did finish a respectable fourth place in 2023 but battled against relegation either side of that year, most notably in 2022 when Liam Norwell's last-day heroics secured an unlikely escape.

Nonetheless, Robinson can point out the Bears are one of only five counties to have preserved their first division status four years running since the resumption of two divisions in 2022.

Expectations are high at Edgbaston, and the failure to be at their own T20 Blast Finals Day party since 2017 has been a source of angst among supporters. Yet the Bears have dominated the group stages, topping their pool in each of the last three seasons.

But the quarter-final stage has been their graveyard, and this summer's defeat by eventual winners Gloucestershire was the last straw for many fans.

Ian Westwood now steps up 24 years after making his first team debut as a player. He's been captain and assistant coach and is a throwback to past incumbents who came through the ranks, such as Dougie Brown, Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton.

With Robinson having seen off two performance directors in Paul Farbrace and Gavin Larsen, Westwood will want a good working relationship with the new appointment, which is expected imminently.