Mark Alleyne has been appointed head coach at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club on a three-year deal.
Alleyne, Shire’s most decorated player with nine trophies and a County Championship promotion to his name, will join at the beginning of March to take charge of the remainder of pre-season training.
Alleyne, 55, is hugely popular with the Shire’s fan base. A mural of him was painted on to the walls of the Seat Unique Stadium in 2019 and his career in numbers features at the ‘Legends Walkway’ area of the ground,
He said: “There is a really exciting blend of youth and experience at Gloucestershire and that’s why when the opportunity came up, I didn’t give it a second thought. I can’t wait to get started and am excited to see what the future holds.”
The club is gearing up for the new season with two major signings, Australian internationals Cameron Bancroft and Beau Webster.
Bancroft, 31, who will be available for all forms of cricket, played at Gloucestershire for a short stint in 2016 and a whole season in 2017. A top-order batter, he has amassed 14,500 domestic runs and 10 Test match appearances for his country.
He said: “I love playing county cricket and the opportunity to play all formats with the club is something I’m really excited about. With a new coach and a really talented playing group I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
All-rounder Webster, 30, is eligible to play in Shire’s T20 Vitality Blast campaign. He will also be available for selection for Gloucestershire’s County Championship fixtures against Yorkshire and Glamorgan in June.
Tasmanian Webster, who is 6′ 6″, excels in T20 cricket in Australia and has had recent success in the Big Bash League.
Meanwhile, GCCC is mourning one of its greatest players, Mike Procter, who died in February.
The South African played a total of 482 matches for the Shire between 1965 and 1981, scoring 20,072 runs and taking 1,113 wickets in first-class and List A cricket. At the peak of his careers, Gloucestershire was affectionately nicknamed ‘Proctershire’ in recognition of his achievements.
Procter was a regular and popular visitor to the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol and last visited the Club during Gloucestershire’s County Championship match vs Worcestershire at Cheltenham College in July last year.
He was an avid supporter of the Gloucestershire Exiles and kept in close contact with many of his former teammates with whom he became lifelong friends.
A spokesman said: “Everyone at Gloucestershire Cricket is deeply saddened by Mike’s death and would like to send their best wishes to Mike’s family during this terribly sad time.”