Randell, 43, pleaded not guilty to 17 charges of indecent assault against girls aged between 10 and 12 while he was teaching in Catholic school in Burnie, Tasmania, in 1981 and 1982.

A jury of nine men and three women, after deliberating for more than six hours, found him guilty on 15 charges, not guilty on one and failed to reach a verdict on one.

Justice Peter Underwood remanded him in custody until a sentencing hearing on Friday.

Randell, who has stood in an Australian record of 36 cricket Tests, was impassive as the verdicts were given.

His wife Angela, a former Miss Tasmania, also retained her composure in court, but later was close to breaking down.

The five women,who had earlier told the court how he had fondled them at school or in their bedrooms, were emotional after the verdict. One cried as they hugged each other outside the court after the verdict.

``It was very tough on us, our friends and family,'' one of them said.

During the six-day trial, the court was told that Randell used a mixture of trust and fear to manipulate some of the girls in his sixth-grade class at Burnie.