Graeme Aldridge’s cricket roots sit firmly in the Western Bay of Plenty. He is one of two Otumoetai College educated Black Caps, sharing the honour with Trent Boult.

The long-time Northern Districts attack bowler played just 16 NZC Major Association games at the Bay Oval, which was still in the development phase as his career wound down.
 
However, he was witness to many more encounters at the Bay Oval, in his role as the Bay of Plenty Coach, before moving on to coach professional cricket in his role as Northern Districts Head Coach.
 
The last time we talked to Graeme he was in the middle of the Covid lockdown in 2020. In this edition of “Catching Up With” we find out what G has been up to in the last four cricket seasons.
 
Tell us about your three seasons as ND Head Coach.

It all seemed to go pretty fast looking back now. The big things we tried to get across was a bit of self-sufficiency from the players and trying to get them to stay engaged in what was happening in the game. It was a very good crew of players to work with. Effort was always there, which is all you can ask for as a coach.  
 
What were the highlights of your time in charge of ND?

The two T20 competition wins obviously stand out. Going back-to-back is pretty rare, so the players really showed some consistency in their approach in a pretty fickle format. We copped a hiding at Hagley Oval in the round robin in the 2022/23 season, so to be back there a couple of weeks later in the final and win, was a massive achievement for the team. We competed well in the other two formats over the three years but were never able to dominate enough games to go the whole way. But overall just working with a group of talented players who cared for ND was the main highlight. The little things like how well the team embraced new and younger players stands out to me. It was a strength when I played and it just seems to have continued. Coming together as a group has never been an issue for ND teams.
 
Tell us about the difficulties of coaching during the Covid lockdown.

Probably keeping up with all the rules was the hardest. We had one situation where we had access only to our Tauranga players as Hamilton and Auckland were in lockdown, so that was a bit of a tough one in terms of planning, etc. I think you just had to move on really quickly and get on with it basically. But things certainly changed fast which made it difficult. The actual coaching side of things didn’t change a whole lot but the the admin and phone calls definitely ramped up.
 
How did you juggle your ND responsibilities with your role as a New Zealand Under 19 bowling coach?

The three Under 19 World Cups I have been to were all when I was assistant coach at Northern Districts, so it wasn’t much of an issue really. ND were very good at understanding the opportunity was beneficial for me, so they put things in place to cover me while I was away with the U19’s.
 
Tell us about the challenges of coaching age-group youngster’s, verses mature representative players.

It’s not always that much different. I certainly don’t change myself as a coach and what I am trying to do. You try and get to know how each individual works, how they learn best, and what makes them tick really. Age group players are mostly in a rush to improve, so having those experiences with Black Caps and First Class cricketers helps me to show them what is required to get there. Things like fitness and recovering well is something I try and push hard at the younger players. And ironically making sure they are actually enjoying cricket.   
 
Tell us about your current New Zealand Cricket coaching role and the challenges that the position delivers.

It’s a High-Performance bowling coach role. So far in the male space I have moved between all the levels from Black Caps through to the most promising U17 and U19 players. In the female space, I have had a few White Ferns camps and was with the NZ A team last season for the England A tour of New Zealand, which was enjoyable. So basically coming in and out of different environments and working with players and the other coaches. I have loved it so far. There is plenty of variety which keeps everything fresh. I miss the team environment aspect but I still get that every now and then so I feel very fortunate.  
 
What does the future in cricket hold for Graeme Aldridge?

I am enjoying the current role I'm in so will be giving that everything. Then if any other opportunities come up, it will just be working out with my family what is best for all of us.