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Andy Moles quits as Scotland's coach

Andy Moles has quit as Scotland's coach, although a formal announcement will not be made until he has agreed severance terms with Cricket Scotland

Cricinfo staff
13-Jan-2006


Andy Moles: leaving his second job in a year. In January, he quit as kenya's coach ©Cricinfo
Andy Moles has quit as Scotland's coach, although a formal announcement will not be made until he has agreed severance terms with Cricket Scotland.
Moles, who only took charge in March last year and who signed a two-year extension to his contract in September, appears to have been forced out by a group of senior players. He spent three months before Christmas working as head coach at the ICC's development academy in Pretoria but it is reported that some players felt he had spent too much time abroad, even though Cricket Scotland encouraged him to take the job.
The Scotsman reported that his fate was sealed last weekend when he supervised the first indoor training session of the year. "It was clear Andy had lost the confidence of a few of the guys," a source told the newspaper. "The session was disastrous and embarrassing."
That convinced Moles that his position was untenable, and it seems he received little support from the board. Even though Moles guided Scotland to the ICC Trophy and a place in the 2007 World Cup, relations with some players had been shaky ever since he lambasted their fitness and approach at the end of the season.
The main criticism aimed at him was that he undertook very little one-on-one coaching, and the fact that he had not relocated to Scotland and still had his home in South Africa also rankled.
His future was discussed at a meeting of Cricket Scotland on Tuesday where it seems the executive wavered in the face of player unrest. "There was unrest over several aspects of the coaching situation," an insider said. "It's ironic after all the success the national side had last season but Andy seems to have lost the confidence of the players."
But the board's climbdown was slammed by Bob Cottam, who filled the same role with Scotland last summer. "Last season we beat two sides in the National League, tied with another and won all seven of our games in the ICC Trophy. The spirit in the dressing-room was excellent, and there was no evidence of any cloak-and-dagger activity. I think that Andy has been treated abysmally."