Titans coach, Mark Boucher, has signed a two-year contract extension in an attempt to continue his good work with the franchise.
Heading into his second season, Boucher was named CSA Coach of the Year for winning both the T20 challenge and the One Day Cup, but narrowly missed out to the Knights in the Sunfoil Series.
His assistant coach, Mandla Mashimbyi, who has been part of the Titans coaching setup since 2013, has agreed to extend his stay at the franchise until the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign.
Mashimbyi will also take up the role as assistant coach of South Africa ‘A’ on their tour to England, which kicks off on 27 May.
‘It’s great to have done well in my first year,’ said Boucher.
‘The culture in the team is one I’ve always looked up to as a player and when I stepped into the role as coach it was one of those ‘wow’ factors.’
‘It’s a very successful set-up. I’ve related to the players really well and thankfully they accepted me in a very good way.’
‘Working alongside Mandla, with all his experience and knowledge of the franchise, has helped me fit into the structures and processes that were already in place.’
Meanwhile, Mark Charlton has stepped down as Northerns Seniors coach, bringing an end to a five-year spell in charge of the amateur side. Impressively, the senior side has won four trophies in the last three years, including the Africa T20 Cup.
Charlton has been appointed to a newly-created position as high performance manager for Titans Cricket.
‘I absolutely loved my time at Northerns. We had a lot of success as a team and I learnt a lot during my time as coach. The support I got from players and staff has been brilliant,’ said Charlton.
‘I’ve taken pride in the players who have come through our system, and seeing youngsters like Aiden Markram and Lungi Ngidi make their way into the franchise team and the SA ‘A’ side has given me the biggest sense of satisfaction.
‘I gave everything I could to Northerns cricket and I felt that five seasons in one role was enough time. Moving forward, I feel I can give a lot more in my role as high performance manager for Titans Cricket.’
Jacques Faul, Titans CEO, added: ‘We’re delighted to have secured the services of both coaches for another two years. Mandla’s been involved in winning the last six trophies, while Mark came close to winning the domestic treble in his first year.
‘Charlton has been instrumental in developing player pathways and in making sure that we could offer contracts to players from within the system; we don’t want to lose that talent. He will play a huge role in guiding us in the development of players moving forward.’
