Volts snare coach of Dutch team

Mike Coggan.
Mike Coggan.
Otago has further strengthened its coaching staff with Netherlands coach Anton Roux added on a two-year deal.

The 35-year-old South African will step down from his role with the Dutch national team to assist Volts head coach Rob Walter.

He will also manage the side.

He has been on the Netherlands coaching staff for the past six years but took over as head coach in 2013.

The Dutch enjoyed a good run under Roux’s leadership, winning 36 of their 52 games and lifting their world twenty20 ranking to No 11.

Roux played four first-class games and four one-dayers for South African side Northerns in 2008 and 2009.

A right-arm spinner, Roux claimed five first-class wickets and was a useful lower-order batsman.

He was shortlisted for the Otago head coaching role but was overlooked for Walter.

"New Zealand cricket has excited me for some time now," Roux said when asked in an email what it was about the opportunity that excited him.

"Their forward thinking and bold approach ... is something that I want to be a part of, and the thought of working with current and future Black Caps is a massive honour."

Roux said he got "a great feeling" from Otago cricket and he believes there is a "fantastic mix of good people wanting to do great things".

Otago Cricket Association chief executive Mike Coggan was delighted to have attracted someone of Roux’s calibre.

"Securing a coach of Anton’s pedigree to our coaching set up is huge," Coggan said.

"His appointment rounds out a formidable management team headed by Rob."

Roux spent seven years coaching and playing at the University of Pretoria.

During the last three years of his stint he was the director of the cricket academy at the high performance centre.

From there he moved to the Amsterdam Cricket Club, where he coached and quickly became involved with the  national team.

He also had a one-season stint back in South Africa coaching  KwaZulu Natal Inland.

Roux has a Cricket South Africa level 3 coaching certificate, as well as an England and Wales Cricket Board level 3 certificate.

Roux is certainly familiar with at least one face in the Otago team.

Black Caps and Otago left-armer Neil Wagner was in the Northerns line-up when Roux made his first-class debut.

Roux hopes to arrive in Dunedin in time for the beginning of Otago’s pre-season training, which starts early next month.

His girlfriend, Willemijn de Bruin, will join him in December or "earlier if she finds a job".

Otago has pre-season training camps in Oamaru (September 19-21) and Alexandra (26-29) planned, as well as a four-day match against Canterbury in Rangiora beginning on October 10. The domestic schedule has not been released.

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