Former Hampshire wicketkeeper, Nic Pothas, has been announced as the Director of Cricket for Channel Island, Guernsey. The role will also include that of National Coach and will see Pothas responsible for seeking to take the 31st-ranked ODI team in the world onto bigger and better things. Pothas, who scored 7,549 runs at 43.88 in 132 First-Class matches for Hampshire, left the Club at the end of the 2011 season after nine immensely successful seasons at The Ageas Bowl. Among his achievements on the South Coast were those of breaking the Hampshire record for the number of dismissals in an innings, taking seven victims at Old Trafford. He also equalled the Hampshire record of ten dismissals in a match and shared, with Andy Bichel, Hampshire’s record eighth-wicket partnership of 257 v Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. In limited-overs matches he was often extremely effective, not least in the two Cup Finals that Hampshire won with him in the side. In 2005 he opened the batting and his half-century set Hampshire on their way. In 2009 he batted virtually on one leg, seeing Hampshire to victory in the company of Chris Benham.

 ‘Pothas reign ends’      by Matt Lihou

NIC POTHAS’ three-year stint as Guernsey’s director of cricket has come to an end after the South African decided to step down from his role. After arriving in the island at the start of 2013 following a successful application process, the former international and Hampshire wicket-keeper made wholesale changes to the personnel in Guernsey’s first team. Despite poor results early on, they have since picked up to such an extent with a new-look young team that he leaves with an inter-insular win and promotion from WCL Division Six under his belt. His time in charge has earned praise from Jamie Nussbaumer, whose instalment as captain was one of Pothas’ first decisions upon starting the job. ‘Nic joined us when a lot of senior players were coming to the end of their careers and he worked hard to bring through an exciting young group to replace them,’ he said. ‘Given our recent success, the future for Guernsey cricket looks very bright. Nic’s technical coaching ability was important, but possibly the most valuable aspects he brought to Guernsey cricket was his work ethic and focus on what he would call the controllables.

Pothas admits he has mixed feelings on leaving his job, which will see a replacement advertised for from as early as next week. ‘It has been a privilege to work with such a dedicated and talented group of cricketers and I feel very fortunate to have cut my coaching teeth in such a fantastic place,’ he said. ‘Moving on is always a mix of excitement for the future whilst knowing you will miss those you have worked with for so long. ‘The experience I have gained with Guernsey leaves me ready to make my next move in the coaching world and, having finished this season on a high it now feels like the right time to make this move.’

From ITV Channel TV

The Ravenscroft Coach of the Year Award 2015 Winner – Nic Pothas from Guernsey Cricket

Nic Pothas helped transform Guernsey Cricket during his three year tenure. In 2015 the players that he kept faith in delivered the sort of performance he always promised they could. With tears in his eyes Pothas saw Guernsey beat Jersey for the first time since he took over before leaving to take up a role with Leicestershire’s Academy. Guernsey’s former Director of Cricket Nic Pothas believed he helped change the culture of the sport in the island ahead of schedule as he reflected on his three year tenure with the Sarnians. Pothas, who is nominated for the Ravenscroft Coach of the Year at the 2015 Channel Islands Sports awards, oversaw a huge shift in style and personnel during his time in the job. It culminated with Guernsey sealing an immediate return to World Cricket League 5 in September after a hugely impressive victory over Jersey to regain the inter-insular trophy. But Pothas had to endure some testing times before overseeing such success – his side were relegated from Division 5 in Malaysia in March 2014 without winning a meaningful match. The former Hampshire wicket-keeper believes once he had identified the players who had committed to being successful his task became a lot easier.

Like in any new process there’s going to be people who leave the process and there’s going to be people that buy into the process. When I took it over it was certainly in need of a shake-up and to do it in a pretty short period of time – three years – I’m very proud of that. Most importantly we’ve actually got ourselves to the starting line rather than to a finishing point.

– NIC POTHAS