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Lancashire: Mark Chilton and Karl Krikken take new roles in Old Trafford reshuffle

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments5

Mark Chilton (left) spent 14 years as a player with Lancashire, as did Karl Krikken with Derbyshire
Mark Chilton (left) spent 14 years as a player with Lancashire, as did Karl Krikken with Derbyshire

Lancashire backroom duo Mark Chilton and Karl Krikken have been appointed to new roles targeting the pathway of more home-grown talent into the first team.

Chilton, 42, takes on the job of performance director, on top of his existing position as assistant to head coach Glen Chapple.

Former Derbyshire and Shropshire boss Krikken, 49, is performance manager.

"There is a vast array of talent throughout the age-group sides," said director of cricket Paul Allott.

"We want to ensure those players with the right attitude and ability fulfil their potential.

"Mark will provide Glen and rest of the coaching staff with the ultimate finishing school for prospective members of the professional playing squad.

"Throughout the season, he will maintain contact with the club's best young talent and influence the development of all pathway players into and within the first-team environment.

"He will do this whilst still having a very important role within the professional squad as the club looks to develop a more flexible coaching structure."

Chilton and Bolton-born Krikken, who spent his 14-year first-class playing career across the county border with Derbyshire, will work with two other former Lancashire players, academy director Gary Yates and under-14-19s performance manager Stephen Titchard.

Lancashire, relegated back to Division Two in September, made their announcement on the day that the ECB lowered the criteria for England selection from, in some cases, seven years' residence in either England or Wales to only three years.

Meanwhile, the county have awarded two-year first professional contracts to two of their most promising academy players, Ormskirk's England Under-19s wicketkeeper/batsman George Lavelle, 18, and Hyde all-rounder George Balderson, also 18.

"George Lavelle is out in Sydney at the moment playing grade cricket," said Chilton. "Whilst George Balderson has been named in the England Young Lions squad that tours India in December so we're looking forward to tracking their progress and seeing how they develop over the winter."

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5 comments

  • Comment posted by aitch35, at 12:35 30 Nov 2018

    Good to see that George Lavell scored 153 last weekend in Sydney.

    Certainly one for the future.

    Hope, under this new structure, he gets his chance sooner rather than later

  • Comment posted by gsmid01, at 14:18 30 Nov 2018

    All sounds good, I just wish better jobs titles would be found. These days everybody has to be a 'Director' of something and/or have 'Performance' in the title. To me, 'Director' means the one top (wo)man who is ultimately responsible for everything. After that 'Manager' or 'Coach' should do. And 'Performance'? Isn't it all about performance? Just split into 'Development' and 'Competition'.

  • Comment posted by ChrisG, at 11:10 1 Dec 2018

    The majority of the LCCC first team are already home-grown and younger players are now being given a chance to show what they can do. If this shuffle results in these traits improving, then I applaud it (although a smattering of classy outsiders in the team is no bad thing). Not that I'll see much cricket this coming season given the success of the Director for the Abolition of Weekend Cricket.

  • Comment posted by AMB, at 12:50 30 Nov 2018

    Well done LCCC, the future bright for the Red Rose.

  • Comment posted by Sam, at 12:17 30 Nov 2018

    I'm very pleased to have my say on this crucial topic. Thank goodness. Trouble is I can't really think what to say. And nobody is exactly going to be scrutininsing and thinking 'well if Sam has had his say, we must take action'.

    So there. But well done on your new jobs. :)

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