Nottinghamshire have appointed Alex O'Dowd as their new Director of Women's Cricket, with the announcement confirmed on October 23, 2026. O'Dowd steps into the position at Trent Bridge following the departure of James Cutt earlier in 2026.
O'Dowd is a former Auckland captain and New Zealand middle-order batter whose playing career included a top score of 113 for his home region. He later represented Northern Districts before retiring in 1998. His career then took a significant turn into rugby union, where he served as head coach of the Netherlands international men's side. Most recently, he held the position of Head of Performance Development with Blues in New Zealand.
O'Dowd, who is 59 years old and has family living in East Bridgford, also brings strong connections to the Nottingham area. Over the past decade, he held the role of Director of Rugby at Trent University and served as Assistant Coach at Nottingham Rugby. His son, Max O'Dowd, is a current Netherlands men's international who previously spent time playing for Nottinghamshire 2nd XI.
"I'm really looking forward to taking on this role," adding: "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," O'Dowd said in an official staement.
Why has O'Dowd been appointed at this stage?
Nottinghamshire's women's side, The Blaze, enjoyed a highly successful 2026 campaign, winning the ODCL1, T20L1 and knockout competitions. The club is now seeking to build on that momentum under new leadership following Cutt's exit, and O'Dowd's cross-sport background in both cricket and rugby administration was central to his selection for the role. O'Dowd outlined his immediate priorities upon joining, emphasising the importance of building relationships within the squad.
"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," he said.
What does Nottinghamshire's Director of Cricket say about the appointment?
Mick Newell, who serves as Nottinghamshire's Director of Cricket, welcomed O'Dowd's arrival and pointed to the club's ambitions for the women's game going forward. Newell highlighted O'Dowd's broad experience across two sports as a key factor in the decision to bring him to Trent Bridge.
"We’re delighted to welcome Alex to Trent Bridge, and we look forward to seeing him make the role his own. He comes with significant experience across cricket and rugby, and we believe he has everything that will be required to continue along the very successful path that we’ve already begun to build. We’re about to head into a new and exciting era for women’s cricket in Nottinghamshire, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing Alex play a key role in that. I know Alex will embrace the challenge of maintaining the sky-high standards that have already been set, and I’m excited to work alongside him as we keep pushing for more success," Newell said.
