Essex County Cricket Club has appointed Graeme Welch as their new Seam Bowling Coach. The former Warwickshire and Derbyshire all-rounder was chosen out of a strong field of candidates to fill the full-time position.
Welch’s remit will be to assist all of the County’s professional seam bowlers as well as those within the Academy and Development squads. The 35-year-old will be taking up his first coaching job after retiring from playing through injury last June.
Welch’s professional career began in 1994, spending seven seasons at Warwickshire before moving on to Derbyshire in 2001. In total the Durham-born cricketer played 171 first-class matches, taking 477 wickets and scoring 5075 runs.
Welch said: “After retiring from playing in the summer I’ve been looking for a new start and as I’ve been coaching for a number of years already this is a great opportunity – especially with all the changes that have been taking place at Essex. I’ll bring my knowledge and experience of swing bowling, having bowled it myself and played with and against a lot of international bowlers whose brains I’ve picked. In general I hope to bring enjoyment, excitement and fun to the role. Although I’m not a slave driver I’m not afraid of hard work so I hope to instil that into the bowlers at Essex.”
Essex First-Team Coach Paul Grayson said: “I’m delighted to have Graeme Welch on-board because he has vast experience as a player and will prove a great addition to our set-up now that he is entering the coaching field. Although Graeme will primarily act as a bowling coach he could also bat a bit during his playing days, so I’m sure he could offer assistance to our batters as well - making him a good all-round coach. It is good to employ someone from outside Essex to offer fresh ideas. Graeme comes from a successful environment at Warwickshire during his early playing career so he will bring a culture of winning to our dressing room.”
