ET is coming home to coach

When the opportunity to return to Northland arose, Central Districts allrounder Ewen Thompson jumped at the chance.
E.T. is coming home to work with Northland Cricket, as their high performance coach, and to be player/coach for the Northland representative side, after a 10-year stint fronting for Central Districts.
He ended his final season with the Plunket Shield runners-up on a high note, placing fourth in the Domestic Mitre 10 Most Valuable Player rankings.
"I made the decision it was time to stop playing first-class cricket at the end of last season. I was given this great opportunity to come up and work with Northland Cricket, plus I could be closer to family... so it was a no brainer to move up really," the 30-year-old said.
Originally from Warkworth, Thompson played club cricket for Kaipara Flats before heading down the line as an 18-year-old.
"When I was 18, the likelihood of playing for ND wasn't very high - they had a lot of good guys here at that time, so I had to find somewhere else where they had a spot."
Based mostly in Palmerston North and Napier, Thompson said he enjoyed his time with CD, during which he was promoted to the  Black Caps at the end of 2008 for a short stint with the national side.
"I loved it down there and achieved a lot, although I probably would have liked to have played for New Zealand more ... but that's how it is. I don't regret moving at all."
Thompson will start his new job in June, where he will meet and greet the many Northland players he has not met in last season's wider squad.
Along with player/coaching Northland, Thompson will also be working alongside age-group cricketers, in a development role.
"I have been coaching since I was 15 and I'm 30 now, so I have done a hell of a lot of it. But it's interesting when you are working within your community and being in your home environment really motivates you," he said.
After a disappointing 2009/10 season contesting the Fergus Hickey and Brian Dunning Tournaments, Thompson hoped to help turn Northland's luck around by instigating practices to ensure the region's success in the long-term.
"I'm not 100 per cent driven by results, and want to set up processes which are sustainable ... obviously we will be aiming to win but player development and putting processes in place to do that are just as important," he said.
Northland Cricket chief executive Gary Bell said Thompson had plenty to offer in his new role with the organisation, and he was looking forward to having  him on board to help achieve the organisation's goals and nurture cricketers for the 2010/11 season and beyond.