Ripley hopeful of Cook recovery

David Ripley made his Northants debut under the leadership of Geoff Cook

The Durham head coach was admitted to hospital last Thursday after suffering a heart attack and is currently in a critical but stable condition.

Cook was in charge at Wantage Road when Ripley made his debut as a teenager in the mid-1980s and his Northants counterpart said that he was shocked when he heard the news.

He said: “It’s really sad news. He was a bit of a fighter on a cricket field and I hope that he can battle through this.

“He was captain here when I came into the side and I’ve got a lot to thank him for.

“He had a brilliant cricket brain and a lot of nous and he was always good to me.

“Let’s hope that he can make a good recovery.”