After James Cutt left earlier this year, former Auckland captain Alex O’Dowd was named Director of Women’s Cricket at Trent Bridge. Before retiring in 1998, New Zealander O’Dowd, a middle-order batsman, represented Northern Districts and scored a maximum of 113 for his native region. In addition to his most recent position as Head of Performance Development with Blues in his native country, he has experience in rugby union, having served as head coach of the Netherlands international men’s team.
O’Dowd, a middle-order batsman from New Zealand and former captain of Auckland, achieved a top score of 113 for his home area during his playing career. Before retiring in 1998, he went on to represent Northern Districts.
O’Dowd, a 59-year-old with family in East Bridgford, also has close ties to the Nottingham region. He was the assistant coach at Nottingham Rugby and the director of rugby at Trent University for the previous ten years. Max O’Dowd, his son, played for Nottinghamshire’s second XI before becoming a current Netherlands men’s international.
In an official statement, O’Dowd said, “I’m really looking forward to taking on this role. The team did tremendously well this year, and Craig, the coaching staff, and all the players performed brilliantly for the club. I’m really excited about creating some more memories with them, because we’ve got a group here that I think are really hungry to be the best they can be.”
He added, “We’ve got a fantastic group here, which I can tell from having had conversations with players already, so my first few weeks will be based around us getting to know each other. I think connections matter, and people matter, and those things are really important to me. I’m looking forward to getting started, to making those connections, and from that, the results will come.”
The Blaze, the women’s team from Nottinghamshire, had an incredibly successful 2026 season, winning the ODCL1, T20L1, and knockout events. Following Cutt’s departure, the club is now looking to build on that momentum under new leadership, and O’Dowd’s history in both cricket and rugby administration was crucial in his selection for the position. After entering, O’Dowd listed his top priorities, stressing the value of fostering relationships among the team.
