BBC SPORT | Cricket | Counties | Warwickshire

Warwickshire coach Bob Woolmer is set to leave the county at the end of the season.

Woolmer, who is in his second spell at Edgbaston, told BBC Sport Online that he is "99%" certain to leave when his contract expires in September.

"It's a very exciting time at Warwickshire, but some of the players I have here are younger than my kids who are now leaving home.

"At 54, there's a generation gap appearing and it may be time for a younger man to coach the side."

We are very sorry to be losing him

Chief executive Dennis Amiss

Woolmer's family live in South Africa and he no longer wishes to spend six months away from home each year.

He has discussed the situation with Warwickshire chief executive Dennis Amiss and former captain Andy Lloyd, the chairman of the club's cricket committee, and offered his services on a consultancy basis in the future.

Woolmer scored more than 15,000 first-class runs during his playing career and appeared in 19 Tests for England.

But it is one of the world's top coaches that he has made his name in recent years, guiding the fortunes of the South African national team from 1994 to 1999 following a first spell at Edgbaston.

Woolmer chats to Cronje during the 1996 World Cup
Cronje and Woolmer were a successful team

During that period he forged close relationships with leading players including Hansie Cronje, who died in a plane crash earlier this year, fast bowler Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes.

Woolmer returned to Warwickshire after deciding to leave the international scene and last summer guided them to promotion to Division One of the County Championship.

But the club surpassed that last month by beating Essex in the final of the B&H Cup at Lord's, their first one-day trophy since 1997.

Woolmer has also been working of the International Cricket Council as a part-time advisor to the Dutch, Kenyan, Canadian and Namibian teams to help them prepare for next year's World Cup.

And he is due to hold coaching clinics in Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the end of the county season.


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