NZ appoint hockey guru as high-performance manager

Ric Charlesworth, who coached the Australia women's hockey team to two Olympic gold medals, has accepted the role of high-performance manager with New Zealand Cricket. A former state batsman with Western Australia, Charlesworth will replace John Reid in October at NZC's Lincoln University centre, where he will oversee elite player and coaching programs and sports science initiatives.

Martin Snedden, the NZC chief executive, said Charlesworth was a world leader in the field of high-performance sport and had the right mix of skills. "Ric has outstanding experience as a top sportsman, coach and consultant," Snedden said. "He has represented and captained Australia in hockey at the highest level, has been Australian coach of the year six times and has written four books on high-performance coaching."

Snedden said he was confident he had secured the services of a capable replacement for Reid. "He will drive NZC's high-performance programs forward so that we continue to compete effectively in international cricket and move closer to our strategic aim of dominating at the top level," he said.

Charlesworth, a 52-year-old qualified doctor, has had a wide-ranging career that included a 10-year stint as a federal member of Australia's parliament, 227 hockey games for his country and work with football and rugby teams in Europe. He played 47 games for Western Australia from 1972-79 and was captain in his final season.