Victoria part ways with coach Hemp

Victoria have parted ways with women’s coach David Hemp, announcing on Thursday they had elected not to renew his contract for the 2020-21 Women’s National Cricket League season.

Hemp had been at the helm of Victoria since 2015, overseeing the rise of some of the country’s most promising young talent during that time.

Seven Victoria-contracted players were part of Australia’s triumphant T20 World Cup squad in March.

Of those, four – Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck and Annabel Sutherland – made their state debuts under Hemp’s watch before earning national selection.

"While our domestic results in WNCL haven’t quite come together, throughout David’s time he continued to successfully identify and develop younger players in our system," Cricket Victoria’s General Manager of Cricket Shaun Graf said.

"To see players like Molly Strano, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck and Annabel Sutherland involved in the winning ICC T20 Women’s World Cup campaign is due in no small part to David’s work with the squad over the last five years.

"We wish him well for the next phase of his career."

Victoria finished fourth on the WNCL table last summer with four wins and four losses.

They boasted the arguably the strongest squad in the country with Australian captain Meg Lanning, allrounder Ellyse Perry and spinner Molly Strano also part of that group, but their chances of making their first domestic 50-over final since 2013-14 were dealt a blow when their star-studded crop of Australians were unavailable for four of their eight matches due to international duties.

"Although I’m disappointed to be finishing at Cricket Victoria, I would like to thank the organisation for the opportunity it presented to me five years ago," Hemp, who finishes in his role on April 30, said.

"I’ve worked with some great people. It has provided me with not only fond memories but lifelong learnings for which I will always be grateful."

The decision not to renew Hemp’s contract comes after the former Glamorgan captain and Bermuda international also parted ways with the Melbourne Stars.

He had coached the Rebel WBBL club since their inaugural season in 2015.

Both Victoria and the Stars are now on the hunt for a replacement – Melbourne briefly secured a new Big Bash mentor last month in highly regarded Australian high-performance coach Leah Poulton, but the former Australian batter quit just weeks later to take up a role as Head of Female Cricket at Cricket NSW.

Cricket Victoria will consider prospective candidates and announce a replacement in due course.