New coaches Sadler and Liddle jumped at the chance to work with Northants boss Ripley

Northants’ new coaching team are both looking forward to learning the ropes from David Ripley.
Northants head coach David RipleyNorthants head coach David Ripley
Northants head coach David Ripley

Prior to Christmas, the County head coach was delighted to appoint John Sadler as his assistant and lead batting coach, and Chris Liddle as the club’s new bowling coach.

Both men started their new roles on January 6, and have made it clear that one of the main attractions of taking the job at the County Ground was the opportunity to work under Ripley.

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“I like Rips’ calmness, and his relaxed nature,” said Sadler, who quit his role as assistant to Paul Nixon at Leicestershire at take up his role at Northants.

Northants assistant coach John SadlerNorthants assistant coach John Sadler
Northants assistant coach John Sadler

“Deep down he is a good man, and ultimately, being around good men is important.”

Ripley has done really well during his time as head coach at Wantage Road, twice winning the T20 title and also reaching another final, and he has twice guided Northants to promotion from the County Championship Division Two, firstly in 2014 and then again last summer.

“He has had some very good success here in red-ball and white-ball cricket, and I am just keen to learn from him, and be around guys who have had success,” continued Sadler.

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“He is a fellow Yorkshireman as well, which some might says is a good thing, others may not, and he is a fellow Leeds United fan, which some may also say is a good thing and others not!

New Northants bowling coach Chris LiddleNew Northants bowling coach Chris Liddle
New Northants bowling coach Chris Liddle

“But I am just looking forward to working with him and learning from him.

“He has a really good reputation, and I am looking forward to seeing it first hand.”

Liddle is taking up his first coaching role after retiring from playing with Gloucestershire last summer, and he is also keen to learn from Ripley and Sadler, too.

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“David comes with a lot of experience so I am looking forward to learning from him,” said Liddle, whose only coaching experience has been with the Netherlands Twenty20 squad.

“A lot of people speak really highly of Rips, and he has been brilliant with me, so I am really looking forward to working alongside him.

“I am a young coach who is enthusiastic about pushing players, and pushing myself as a coach, so if I can work with the likes Rips and Sads who have a lot of experience then that will be great for me.”