Bay of Plenty Cricket chief resigns

Bay of Plenty will await the outcome of two reviews - one internal and the other being conducted by parent body Northern Districts - before deciding what direction to take following the surprise resignation of general manager David Johnston.
Johnston indicated late last year he was looking to move on and is expected to leave the helm of Bay Cricket - New Zealand's largest minor association - in mid-July to look after family farming interests in Waikato. Bay Cricket chairman Chris Rapson said they wouldn't necessarily look to replace Johnston.
Bay Cricket, which had a poor summer at representative level after several years of dominating Northern Districts senior competitions, were part-way through an internal review of systems and procedures, while Northern Districts operations manager Pat Malcon was due to begin a separate review of the region.
Bay's last review by ND was six years ago and Malcon's inspection, which had been delayed by several weeks because of a family bereavement, would look at all aspects of the Tauranga-based organisation.
Rapson said rumours Johnston had resigned, or been pushed, because of an impending negative review were well wide of the mark. "Our own internal review process has been ongoing for the last 3-4 months and is part of our own normal process, unprompted by anything or any comments that might have been made publicly by anyone.
"ND's review is also a normal course of events. Part of our funding is contestable around the outcomes of that review ... but I'm confident we'll emerge with a clean bill of health.
"We'll be going to the market to find a replacement for David but, because of both reviews, we're not totally certain of shape of the new role. Maybe the position needs to be reworked because the job David has been doing is a big job and the growth we've had is a result of the initiatives and programmes he's put in place."
Rapson was angry at comments that had been circulating online that Johnstone's departure was somehow sparked by financial mismanagement or misuse of gaming trust money, now or in the past.
"We've been comprehensively reviewed and we aren't, or haven't been, doing anything outside any rules, guidelines, regulations, laws or whatever.
"We, and David, can hold our heads high knowing we comply with every aspect of the act that we're aware of. Yes, there was criticism from a gaming trust four years ago (over use of pokie funds allocated to Bay Cricket), but we disputed what they were saying and asked the Department of Internal Affairs to come in and decide.
"The DIA reviewed what we do and gave us a clean bill of health. I'm 100 per cent confident that what we do is proper, that any funding we receive reaches the points it should reach and we don't fund anything we're not entitled to.
"David leaves with his head held high, with a legacy of building strong foundations, with absolutely no suggestion he's left under some sort of cloud or been pushed.
"I've seen some of the comments being posted and I'm astounded - there's some mean-spirited people with some strange agendas in this town."
Johnston is in the UK and couldn't be reached for comment, although in a prepared statement before he left he said the highlight of his tenure, which started 14 years ago as the cricket's first Coachforce development manager, was seeing players like Daniel Flynn and Kane Williamson progress to playing for New Zealand.