Sussex CCC - A golden decade?

[PlanetCricket]

Sussex CCC have been in a golden age for 7 years. It all started when I started supported them, around 2003, and, therefore, I generally attribute this success to my support. Because of this, I fear going to university in another area as this may well set off another decline!

The reason I write this article is because I have just found my first ever match programme. It is sitting on my table next to me, a picture of the Sussex legend Mushtaq Ahmed and the words Sussex Sharks v. Derbyshire Scorpions (then Phantoms, now apparently Falcons), at Arundel, in the National League, 45 overs a side at this time.

On this day, Sussex scored 232 for 6, with Goodwin getting 129. Derbyshire chased this down in 41.4 overs, and won by 6 wickets. The same Sussex side failed to qualify for the first Twenty20 semi finals, and finished 3rd from bottom of the National League; yet it won the countys very first County Championship. The success in the 4 day form was attributed to three key men. Captain and batsman Chris Adams, Zimbabwean kolpak batsman Murray Goodwin and Pakistani legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed. These were the three that the golden decade was built on.

In 2004, Sussex failed to win another trophy. They came 5th in the County Championship, and were equally as useless as before in the one day and T20 forms of the game. 2005 was a year of new arrivals and departures for the club, as Johannes Van der Wath, Rana Naved and Luke Wright played their first seasons for the club, gloveman Andy Hodd returned from local neighbours Surrey, Mark Davis and current Sky Sports frontman Ian Ward retired and other gloveman Tim Ambrose departed for Warwickshire. Coach Peter Moores also went, to the ECB, no less, and he was replaced by his deputy Mark Robinson. These moves, especially the input of Rana Naved, meant that Sussex began to become a bit good at one dayers! Not T20, of course, they were still out in the group stage of that, but they won the second division of the National League, which got them into the top division.

2006 was possibly the best year in the Martlets history as a first class county. They won the County Championship for a second time, but, in an act of previously unknown brilliance, they also won the C&G trophy, beating Lancashire in the final. In 2007, Sussex continued their success, winning the County Championship for the third time in five years, and in 2008, what was Chris Adams final season, Sussex won the Pro40 league. In 2009, Sussex proved themselves to be the best one day team in the country. This time under the captaincy of Mike Yardy, they won the Pro40 again, and this time also won the T20, eventually beating Somerset in the T20 final and being chased the hardest by Somerset in the Pro40 league. They were, however, beaten by Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy final, with Dominic Cork exacting revenge over them from the 2006 final, where he was on the losing side. In a less successful light, they were relegated from the County Championship Division 1, and will have to fight hard to get back.

So, what does 2010 hold for Sussex? The main signing of the winter has been Monty Panesar, shut out of the England frame, making the move from Northants, which has been slated by some members of the Sussex support, stating that another pace bowler would have been far better. They have a good chance of another one day crown, and a good chance of being promoted back up from the County Championship Division 2. And, as we move into a new decade, I suppose I should pick a team of the decade for Sussex. My judgement is slightly skewed due to the fact I only started supporting in 2003, but I presume that most of the best players will come from the glory era anyway.

1. Richard Montgomerie With 20 first class centuries for Sussex, and very few other openers around this decade, Montgomerie, a staple throughout the decade, has to be in the team for his batting and sensational fielding at short leg.
2. Chris Nash As well as looking like a cross between Phil Tufnell and Graeme Swann, Chris Nash was one of only three Sussex players to play in every game of the 2007 county championship success, and is a very useful pinch hitter and part time off spinner in any Sussex one day team. (For anyone questioning this one, make a comment, but he is my favourite player!)
3. Chris Adams Also captain, Chris Grizzly Adams is the man who has led Sussex to numerous titles, and also was a superb batsman in his own right at one down. Unfortunately, he has now become head coach at Surrey and has already lured Sussex hard hitting all-rounder Rory Hamilton-Brown away from Hove.
4. Murray Goodwin Although his 2009 was atrocious by his extremely high standards, Goodwin has been a fantastic batsman for Sussex over the past few years, and Zimbabwes loss has been Sussexs gain as he has piled on the runs season after season.
5. Matt Prior His competition with Tim Ambrose in the first half of the decade helped Matt Prior to be both a better batsman and a better gloveman. His batting, in particular, has been crucial to Sussex over the years, and even though Andy Hodds glovework is arguably some of the best in the country, Prior is missed with the bat whilst away with England.
6. Michael Yardy Sussexs answer to Paul Collingwood, the middle order batsman is also a very useful slow left arm bowler, especially in one dayers. His captaincy in that same format is also good, as proven by Sussexs two trophies and a final in the format last year. If you could choose a batsman to be batting with tail enders to save a 4 day game, Michael Yardy is who you would pick.
7. Luke Wright One of the great Sussex success stories, Luke Wright started out as a very promising fast medium bowler, but his hard hitting batting came to the fore in the 2007 T20 cup, and he is now a regular pick in Englands 50 and 20 over sides.
8. Yasir Arafat The hardest decision of the XI was between Yasir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, both of whom are Pakistani all-rounders of the highest quality. Both better bowlers than batsmen, Yasir replaced Rana for the end of the 2006 season while he was on international duty, and Rana went at the end of 2007 when the overseas quota was reduced to one. When that one, Mushy, retired at the end of 2008, it was Yasir who came in to replace him, and, in a twist of fate, Rana replaces Yasir whilst he is on international duty for Pakistan at the start of the 2010 season.
9. Robin Martin-Jenkins Robin (son of Christopher) Martin-Jenkins is the most consistent all-rounder Sussex have had in the noughties, with a first class batting average of 30.3 throughout his 15 year Sussex career and a reasonable toll of 354 first class wickets. Occasionally mentioned as an England prospect at the start of his career, he has never really quite performed well enough to make that team, but still makes this one.
10. Mushtaq Ahmed Now the ECBs spin bowling coach, in domestic cricket, Mushy was the best bowler for 4 or 5 years on the spin. Very few people best Shane Warne, but the 5 foot 4 inch Pakistani leggie did just that, leading Sussex to 3 County Championships and earning himself a short, slightly rotund place in the clubs legend.
11. James Kirtley Sussexs best seam bowler throughout the decade, James Kirtley has lost his masterful touch in the Championship since being inexplicably dropped from the England test side (I saw him, for free, in his greatest moment of England glory at Trent Bridge in 2005, where he took 4 of his 6/34, winning England a test against South Africa). After that, he had to remodel his action twice, and has never been the same in first class cricket, although he is still one of the best exponents of the yorker that the English one day game has to offer, as shown by his man of the match performance in 2006s C&G trophy final, and his slightly unexpected call up to the first T20 world cup.

Strictly speaking, of course, that team has one too many overseas players for todays regulations, and, if pulled up on this, the left arm seamer Jason Lewry, although not at his best in this decade, would come in for Yasir Arafat but bat a bit lower!



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