Paul Hutchison will step down from the roles of director of cricket and men’s head coach of Jersey. He has had an amazing influence over his short two seasons in the position. We congratulate him on his extraordinary success while at the helm. Under his leadership, Jersey’s men’s cricket team ascended to the top of their ICC Challenge League group and led them through their best-ever T20 World Cup qualifying campaign. Hutchison will resign from his position to spend more time with his family in Yorkshire. After two years of traipsing back and forth between Jersey and the UK mainland, he says the time has come to ring in the changes.
Prior to joining Jersey in early 2024, Hutchison served as an assistant within Denmark’s coaching setup. AC as he was known, was a former player for Yorkshire, Sussex, and Middlesex who brought a wealth of experience to his coaching role. During his tenure, Jersey nearly qualified for next year’s T20 World Cup. They had some impressive wins under their belt, pleasingly including a strong victory over Scotland.
Hutchison was proud of the development of Jersey’s emerging talent, particularly in elevating homegrown players to full-time consideration. “The lads are still amateurs, so there’s lads who are in employment, who might not be available all the time – so you can’t just have a core of 11 or 12, you need a bigger squad,” he remarked. This recognition further highlights the uphill battle of a team made up of athletes who are trying to juggle their jobs with their sporting dreams.
Jersey’s cricket landscape is truly unique. Having only 100,000 or so residents, the island enjoys little of the immigration found in larger countries. This regional constraint makes it hard to compete for talent from countries with a deep tradition in cricket, like South Asia. Hutchison called for more focus on cultivating local talent to help Jersey compete. “I know whoever takes the role on has got a great set of lads who are going to just keep pushing on,” he noted.
During his time in charge Hutchison concentrated on ensuring there was more resources to draw on for Jersey’s fast bowlers. He’s convinced that educating and diversifying the skill sets among his rapidly expanding team will be critical to their future success. Though Italy pipped Jersey to T20 World Cup qualification this summer, Hutchison is hopeful for where the team is heading. “They’re now in a place where they’re more independent thinkers, they are winning games of cricket so I know they’re going to be fine,” he stated.
As Hutchison gets ready to leave, he looks back on the advancements made during his watch. “So it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving them in the lurch – it feels like they’re almost ready to just be set free,” he added. His leaving ends what has been a remarkable and momentous chapter for Jersey cricket. At the same time, it lays the groundwork for continued expansion and achievement.
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