The 65-year-old former international player and coach has decided he will not return for a sixth season.
It is time to retire and for someone else to take the Sparks into what shapes as a new era for the team, Lees said.‘‘I love the game, I love the Sparks and I love what Otago cricket are doing with women’s cricket. But I’m going to have four grandsons all under 4 ... and I’ve got a soft ball and yellow set of stumps,’’ he said.
Lees, who lives in Clyde and works part-time as a relief teacher, was not planning on returning this past season but did not want to leave the team "in a hole".
"But I actually feel that we’ve made enough progress that this is the healthiest time to pull out. I certainly want to help the new person, whoever that maybe."
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Mike Coggan will be relieved to hear that. He described Lees’ motivation skills as arguably his greatest strength.
"I’d love to see Warren around as much as possible because he just has a way about him," Coggan said.
"He is a very good motivator and he brings great life skills. And the players love him because he has the ability to make them feel good about themselves."
Lees played 21 tests and 31 one-day games for New Zealand from 1976 to 1983. The wicketkeeper-batsman also made a record 108 first-class appearances for Otago from 1971 to 1988 and helped the province win six first-class titles, four of them as captain.
In his final season (1987-88), Lees led Otago to success in both the one-day and first-class competition.
It is the only time the province has collected both trophies in a season and it was also the last time Otago won the first-class trophy.
Lees turned to coaching when he hung up the gloves and coached the national team from 1990 to 1993. The highlight was New Zealand’s superb run at the 1992 World Cup which ended in a semifinal defeat by Pakistan.
Lees also had a stint as Otago coach in the mid-1990s and is a former general manager of the association. He took over as the Sparks coach in 2012-13 and the following season the team won the one-day national title, its first banner in 51 years.
There was disappointment in 2014-15 when Otago was well-beaten in the twenty20 final by Wellington. But his reign finished on a high with the Otago beating Canterbury by five runs to claim its first twenty20 title last summer.
"When I played I thought playing for New Zealand was all you could do," Lees said.
"But in actual fact, I was wrong. Coaching New Zealand men’s and women’s [teams] and the Sparks has been a bigger highlight than playing for New Zealand.
"I’m just so lucky to have worked with Martin Crowe when I coached and so lucky to be involved coaching Suzie Bates.
"It has just been such a challenge and so much fun coaching the Sparks. I know we won two titles but also our under-21 team has got more competitive and we’ve never been that before. I just loved everything about it, really.
"I’ll probably look back in a month’s time and wish that I was more closely involved. But you have to know when your time is up and I don’t want to stand in anyone’s way."
