Sport
Ridgway, Jewell leave Saints
Paul Amy
22Apr08
ST KILDA Cricket Club lost its coach, Mark Ridgway, and its captain, Nick Jewell, in the same week.
As had been widely tipped in Premier Cricket circles, Ridgway took the Casey-South Melbourne coaching position, and Jewell accepted an offer from Frankston-Peninsula, primarily because the club is closer to his new home at Mornington.
Emerging all-rounder Jayde Herrick has gone with Ridgway, becoming the Casey club's professional player.
The Saints have also lost Michael Klinger, who has signed a two-year deal with South Australia.
But it's not all bad news for St Kilda. In what president Ron Laird called a "rejuvenation process", former player David Johnstone has been appointed director of cricket and former premiership captain Tim "Toss' O'Sullivan and Oliver Oostermeyer have joined the board. Premiership paceman Oostermeyer retired at the end of last season and O'Sullivan called time 12 months earlier.
Laird said the Saints were casting about for a new coach and had some "excellent candidates in mind".
"There's never a shortage of people who would see it as a good thing to coach the Saints," he said.
"It's been a very successful club and people who have coaching aspisations always look for a good club, don't they?"
Laird praised the contribution of Ridgway, saying he left on good terms and would be warmly remembered as a premiership coach.
He said Victorian opener Jewell had been a prolific run-scorer for St Kilda and although the club was sad to lose him, "he goes with our very best wishes".
"He's been a fantastic player and a fantastic clubman, supported the club in every way, and we're happy he's found something he wants to do," Laird said.
The departures of Jewell and Klinger will leave a crater in St Kilda's batting line-up.
Both made a pile of runs: Jewell cracked 6226 at 39.65, with nine centuries, and Klinger hit 5271 at 53.24, including 19 tons.
Klinger holds the St Kilda season batting aggregate record with 1005 in 2004-05.
They both played in six finals for five premierships for St Kilda - in 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
All-rounder Glenn Lalor is likely to succeed Jewell as captain.
