LEAD STORY - CRICKET: Reeve steps down as coach

Central Districts cricket coach Dermot Reeve will not be back at the helm of the Stags team in the 2010-11 season.
In an exclusive with SportToday, Reeve said it was difficult for him to make a fulltime commitment considering his young family were living in Sydney, Australia.
Nevertheless, the former English international is hoping to keep his ties with the sport in the country after the Stags' season ended last Thursday with the end of the four-day Plunket Shield match at McLean Park, Napier.
"I'd love to be involved with Central Districts Cricket or New Zealand Cricket in some capacity.
"I would like to be with Central Districts, ideally, but for me to fulfil a fulltime role with any association will not be possible due to family commitments," he said, claiming NZ Cricket job descriptions made that impossible.
The 46-year-old, who played 240 first-class matches, excluding 300 one-dayers, and boasts close to 100 games as a coach, has a desire to return to the CD fold or any other major association or NZ Cricket as a "special technical or tactical adviser" after coaching here from 2008-09.
Reeve felt it was up to the CD administration, with new CEO Hugh Henderson, 39, of Christchurch, starting officially on June 1, to select the new coach but he would love to have some input in some capacity.
Reeve flew back to Sydney on Good Friday, after a farewell dinner party with the players, to be with Australian wife Fiona and their children Jude, 6, Tiana, 4, and Jorja, 3.
Rumours of Reeve stepping down surfaced in late January when media highlighted senior player dissatisfaction after the Stags lost their first Twenty20 HRV Cup match to the Auckland Aces early that month.
New Zealand test batsman Mathew Sinclair agreed there was a "verbal altercation" between the 1996 Wisden Cricketer of the Year and a player - later reported to be Black Caps allrounder Jacob Oram - but put it down to a routine disagreement with the coach in a game situation.
Outgoing CEO Blair Furlong, after branding the media speculation of Reeve stepping down as "utter crap", eventually released a statement to say the former Warwickshire country captain was contracted to CD until May 31.
Just before CD lifted the HRV Cup in late January, Reeve had surgery on his foot, which he injured during warm-ups at Pukekura Park on January 4 but soldiered on in discomfort for three weeks.
On January 25 in Hamilton, the injury was assessed as a significant tear to the "planta fascia" origin and Reeve had been advised to wear a moonboot to restrict any weight-bearing activities for up to six weeks. He had returned to New Plymouth to watch CD win the T20 title and then returned last week for the final shield match against Northern Districts in Napier.
Between those two trips, assistant coach and former Black Caps seamer Lance Hamilton took over Reeve's role and worked in tandem with other senior players. Furlong said Stags selectors Scott Briasco and Gary Cunningham continued to consult Reeve while he recuperated in Sydney.
Reeve found himself in hot water with NZ Cricket after accusing Aces' English import allrounder Ravi Bopara of tampering with the ball in February.