Trist departure leaves gap in HKCA's coaching ranks

The Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA) has suffered its second major resignation in five months with technical director David Trist announcing his decision to quit the post.

Trist, who took up a full-time position with the HKCA in 1996, said yesterday he was stepping down for 'personal reasons'. His departure follows hard on the heels of chief executive Russell Mawhinney, who resigned in January.

Although Mawhinney's departure was clouded in controversy, HKCA officials were yesterday quick to stress there was 'nothing sinister' about Trist's unexpected departure.

HKCA president Terry Smith told Sports Post: 'I've spoken to David and he has explained that the reasons he wishes to leave are personal. There is nothing sinister about it . . . this sort of thing does happen.' Trist has two months notice to work before finally leaving his post. The 52-year-old former New Zealand one-day international player will work through June before spending July and August in Holland on a short-term coaching contract. Trist will then return to Hong Kong in September to complete his notice.

'We are totally aware of David's other commitments and are happy with what we have arranged regarding his notice,' Smith said.

Trist's departure will be met with sadness in Hong Kong cricket circles. Popular with players and officials alike, the affable Kiwi's period at the helm has seen the growth of Hong Kong representative teams from Under-13 through to Under-23.

Trist, who helped coach Holland at the 1996 World Cup in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka said he had been pondering his future for 'quite some time'.

'The reason I'm going is personal in that for quite some time I've been considering other options in terms of scaling down my work load. I basically want to take some time off,' he said.

'I've enjoyed every minute of my time in Hong Kong. It was tremendously exciting to come up here and help put things in place for the future and to oversee the transition period last year.' A replacement for Trist - who had also coached the Hong Kong team in recent seasons - will be discussed by the HKCA next week.