Matt Maynard steps down as Glamorgan red-ball head coach

Maynard, who returned in 2019 to the club for whom he scored more than 35,000 runs, guided Glamorgan to the cusp of promotion from Division Two in 2022 but narrowly missed out

Glamorgan red-ball head coach Matt Maynard is to step down from his role at the end of the season, a year after the county split up the head coaching responsibilities between formats.

Maynard, who returned in 2019 to the club for whom he scored more than 35,000 runs, guided Glamorgan to the cusp of promotion from Division Two in 2022 but narrowly missed out.

He was initially placed in charge on an interim basis before taking up the role on a full-time basis at the end of 2019.

"It's been five years since I returned to Glamorgan as head coach and now just feels like the right time for me to step down," said Maynard.

"I've enjoyed working with the players and staff immensely and feel like the culture that has been fostered within the group has the ability to grow into something special. There is some talent within the squad, and I look forward to watching the players develop in the years to come.

"I still love coaching and have a passion for working with players, and after a bit of time off – and doing my charity walk – I'll start looking at what fresh challenges are out there for me moving forward. Glamorgan will always be my club and I wish everyone involved the very best of luck for the future."

"He has a fantastic ability to connect with players and his inspiring leadership both as player and coach has left an indelible mark on the fabric of the club which will be felt for many years to come," added Mark Wallace, Glamorgan's director of cricket.

^{Glamorgan missed out on promotion once again (Michael Steele/Getty Images)}

"Personally, and on behalf of everyone involved with the club, I would like to thank Matthew for his unrivalled impact at Glamorgan over the years and wish him the very best for his future endeavours.

“Though Matthew is stepping down as head coach, we are hopeful of retaining his expertise at Glamorgan in some capacity moving forward as we continue to try and develop players in Wales to the best of their abilities."

At the time that Maynard's role was split, he insisted that he still enjoyed coaching Glamorgan's white-ball sides, but the white-ball job was advertised over the winter and eventually handed to Mark Alleyne.

Under Maynard's watch, Glamorgan have once again been competitive in this year's County Championship, but draws – they have shared the spoils in 11 out of 13 games this summer – have ultimately left them short of the top two spots.

Sam Northeast, who made an unbeaten century in their latest draw against Yorkshire earlier this week, admitted that the nature of the surfaces at Cardiff had made it difficult to force four-day wins.

"The wicket flattened out and got pretty dead," he said. "That's the story of the season. It can go a bit dead here at times and that's why we've drawn so many games. Going forward, we're going to have to think about ways to get a result on that pitch."

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