Moores lands Lancashire job

Peter Moores said it was a "privilege" to take charge of the club he once supported

Lancashire have confirmed the appointment of Peter Moores as head coach.

The 46-year-old left his post as England coach five weeks ago due to an “irretrievable breakdown” in his relationship with then captain Kevin Pietersen.

He was immediately installed as the favourite to take charge at Lancashire, filling the void created by a new coaching structure which saw cricket manager Mike Watkinson step up to assume the role of director of cricket in December.

“I feel very excited and privileged to be given the opportunity to work for the county I grew up supporting, and look forward to meeting the players and working alongside Mike Watkinson to bring success to the club,” said Moores, who will officially start his new role on March 1.

“Coming from the north-west and having attended matches at Old Trafford during my youth, I understand the proud history of the club and how passionate the supporters are.

“If I was to think about any other job to take after leaving England it would have been the Lancashire job, and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Moores, born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, forged his reputation at Sussex, whom he led to the first County Championship title in their history in 2003.

Under Moores, Sussex won the totesport League Second Division crown in 2005, before he was appointed ECB National Academy director later that year.

His work at Loughborough won him many plaudits, and helped land him the England job in April 2007 following Duncan Fletcher’s resignation.

Moores and Chris Adams enjoy totesport League success with Sussex in 2005

Moores, who has signed a three year-year contract, will be responsible for day-to-day first team affairs and coaching duties at Old Trafford.

“I’m delighted Peter is joining our cricket management team in this important role,” Watkinson said.

“I have known him for many years, initially as a player, then in his various coaching roles, and he has the quality and experience to take the first team squad forward.

“We share many values and beliefs, and I’m looking forward to working closely alongside him to further improve the performance of the professional squad.”

Lancashire have been without a first team coach since Watkinson took on his new role on December 5, and chief executive Jim Cumbes expressed his surprise at the huge interest shown in stepping into his shoes.

“We always knew this position would create a lot of interest, but we could not have envisaged the amount of world-class candidates who applied for the role,” he said.

“However, Peter’s resume speaks for itself, and what he achieved with Sussex is the envy of all counties.

“Lancashire is one of the biggest cricket clubs in the world, and success is what our members and supporters demand and long to see.

“Having been involved in the interview process, I know we have the right man for the job and, under the direction of Mike Watkinson, we now have a structure in place that will take cricket throughout the entire county forward.”

Moores’ first assignment as coach will be the Pro ARCH Trophy, a pre-season tournament in Abu Dhabi, which begins with a clash against Sussex on March 19.