Northern Districts Cricket is pleased to announce the appointment of former BLACKCAP Matt Horne as Assistant Coach to the SKYCITY Northern Knights coaching team.

Having played 35 Test Matches and 50 ODI's for New Zealand, Horne brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of top level cricket. His most recent coaching role was as Head Coach for the Auckland Aces, but chose not to extend that contract this year, preferring to join the Knights coaching group instead.

He said "I'm thrilled to be joining the SKYCITY Northern Knights Management Team. Being involved as a member of this team is a challenge which I am very much looking forward to. The current balance of the playing squad is an extremely exciting proposition with a blend of quality, experience and potential."

SKYCITY Northern Knights head coach James Pamment is very pleased with the appointment, saying "Matt and I go back a number of years, where we both played first class cricket for Auckland. We also coached the New Zealand Under 19 World Cup team together in 2012, so we know each other well and I am sure we will be able to complement each other's coaching skill-sets."

Horne begins his new role on 1 September.