Post by Wicked Cricket on Sept 5, 2017 12:23:33 GMT
Two Former Sussex Greats of the Coaching World prove their Mettle in 2017
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It has been a tough time for Sussex CCC in recent years. Supporters and the hierarchy have suffered the indignity of seeing their beloved cricket club decline and then steeply fall from a golden decade of success and triumph to various years of frustration and underachievement. It has been a wake up call to how fickle professional cricket can be. How tight the margins are between success and failure.
Yet, that Sussex golden decade still influences the cricketing world. Its ripples and echoes remain pronounced even though the present club continues to languish as it tries to emulate their past accomplishments, its eminence and prosperity, but continues to relapse to a reality of happy memories and victorious recollections.
Robbo
But, the Club’s legacy remains. Their former Coaches have wowed English cricket in 2017 with an abundance of achievement rarely seen on a cricket field.
First off, is Mark Robinson who Coached Sussex for 10 years and brought success to the club no other had got even close to before. Two Championship Trophies and immediate promotion from Division 2 in 2010. And then there were the OD Cups. One Friends Provident, two Pro 40, and one T20.
It was the correct decision by Robinson to leave Sussex at the end of 2015 after Division 2 relegation, to seek new challenges by accepting the Coaching job for the England Women’s team. After a controversial start, his second year in the job has been a bed of roses. There are many success quotes but a favourite is, “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” It is as easy as that. Success is a state of mind. Some have it - some don’t.
So, were we surprised when Mark Robinson achieved the goal of any cricket Coach by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup in front of a packed Lord’s on July 23rd?
This was the tournament’s eleventh edition, England’s fourth Trophy, and the third World Cup to be held at home after 1973 and 1993 (interestingly, each tournament on English soil has been won by England). Their other victory in 2009 came in Australia.
The last eight years had been a frustrating time for England. India and Australia dominated the Women’s game. England had somewhat lost their way but Robbo came along and rediscovered it for them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Cricket_World_Cup
Mooresy
Yet, perhaps, the most successful after leaving Sussex has been Peter Moores. He is heralded by some as the greatest county cricket coach of all time. After winning Sussex their first ever Championship Trophy in 2003, he had the audacity to leave the club prematurely and seek new challenges whilst passing on his legacy to Mark Robinson to enjoy and nurture.
Moores is a complex man. That final step up from County to England Coach has somehow eluded him after both attempts at International level (2007-09) and (2014-15) failed. First, after a relationship breakdown with Captain, Kevin Pietersen, where KP stated, “I just cannot Captain with this guy”, and nicknamed Moores ‘Woodpecker’ for constantly “tapping away” at players. They were chalk and cheese with opposite mindsets on how a team should be coached.
Moores second attempt ended even more disastrously after a run of disappointing England results and perceived underachievements. The media had jumped on his back early on which did little for his cause.
www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/890289.html
Yet, Moores and county cricket, like two peas in a pod, continues to fully and completely embrace him. He remains the only coach to win Championship Trophies with two different clubs (Sussex and Lancashire) and 2017 has seen him rise to even greater dizzying heights with Nottinghamshire after taking over from Mick Newell at the end of last season.
Notts had struggled recently under Newell, who similar to Robinson, had stayed too long in the job. After stepping in to his shoes, Moores has immediately galvanised the once underperforming team in to county beaters. Already, Notts have won both the RLC 50 over and T20 Cups and now look set for the treble by winning Division 2 and gaining immediate promotion.
Brazilian footballer, Pele, once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” I disagree. It is more than that. Like leaders, some are born to be successful and others are not. Sussex CCC were incredibly fortunate in attracting two players who went on to become great coaches.
Which leaves us with Sussex CCC present Coach Mark Davis. One feels sympathy for Davis taking over the mantle from two such ‘greats’. Rather like Randolph Churchill having a father called Winston or Mark Thatcher and a mother named Margaret. Where do you go from there? How on earth do you emulate such people?
Which leads us back to Peter Moores.
I had the honour of interviewing him back in the Spring. Towards the end of our chat we talked about the Sussex good ol’ days. He reminisced about the infamous Members Rebellion in March 1997. His brief days as team captain. His strong and longstanding friendship with Tony Pigott. The many happy memories of the South Coast. And then the bombshell just popped out. It came from nowhere but his comment was heartfelt and genuine. “I would love to end my coaching career back at Sussex. It would be the perfect symmetry for me.”
Moores will be 55 years-old this December. After winning another Championship Trophy, this time with Notts no doubt, in the next few years, and breaking his own record of three trophies with three different counties, what a perfect moment to retire to the South Coast and end his coaching days regaining the glory years for Sussex.
We can but dream.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
It has been a tough time for Sussex CCC in recent years. Supporters and the hierarchy have suffered the indignity of seeing their beloved cricket club decline and then steeply fall from a golden decade of success and triumph to various years of frustration and underachievement. It has been a wake up call to how fickle professional cricket can be. How tight the margins are between success and failure.
Yet, that Sussex golden decade still influences the cricketing world. Its ripples and echoes remain pronounced even though the present club continues to languish as it tries to emulate their past accomplishments, its eminence and prosperity, but continues to relapse to a reality of happy memories and victorious recollections.
Robbo
But, the Club’s legacy remains. Their former Coaches have wowed English cricket in 2017 with an abundance of achievement rarely seen on a cricket field.
First off, is Mark Robinson who Coached Sussex for 10 years and brought success to the club no other had got even close to before. Two Championship Trophies and immediate promotion from Division 2 in 2010. And then there were the OD Cups. One Friends Provident, two Pro 40, and one T20.
It was the correct decision by Robinson to leave Sussex at the end of 2015 after Division 2 relegation, to seek new challenges by accepting the Coaching job for the England Women’s team. After a controversial start, his second year in the job has been a bed of roses. There are many success quotes but a favourite is, “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” It is as easy as that. Success is a state of mind. Some have it - some don’t.
So, were we surprised when Mark Robinson achieved the goal of any cricket Coach by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup in front of a packed Lord’s on July 23rd?
This was the tournament’s eleventh edition, England’s fourth Trophy, and the third World Cup to be held at home after 1973 and 1993 (interestingly, each tournament on English soil has been won by England). Their other victory in 2009 came in Australia.
The last eight years had been a frustrating time for England. India and Australia dominated the Women’s game. England had somewhat lost their way but Robbo came along and rediscovered it for them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Cricket_World_Cup
Mooresy
Yet, perhaps, the most successful after leaving Sussex has been Peter Moores. He is heralded by some as the greatest county cricket coach of all time. After winning Sussex their first ever Championship Trophy in 2003, he had the audacity to leave the club prematurely and seek new challenges whilst passing on his legacy to Mark Robinson to enjoy and nurture.
Moores is a complex man. That final step up from County to England Coach has somehow eluded him after both attempts at International level (2007-09) and (2014-15) failed. First, after a relationship breakdown with Captain, Kevin Pietersen, where KP stated, “I just cannot Captain with this guy”, and nicknamed Moores ‘Woodpecker’ for constantly “tapping away” at players. They were chalk and cheese with opposite mindsets on how a team should be coached.
Moores second attempt ended even more disastrously after a run of disappointing England results and perceived underachievements. The media had jumped on his back early on which did little for his cause.
www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/890289.html
Yet, Moores and county cricket, like two peas in a pod, continues to fully and completely embrace him. He remains the only coach to win Championship Trophies with two different clubs (Sussex and Lancashire) and 2017 has seen him rise to even greater dizzying heights with Nottinghamshire after taking over from Mick Newell at the end of last season.
Notts had struggled recently under Newell, who similar to Robinson, had stayed too long in the job. After stepping in to his shoes, Moores has immediately galvanised the once underperforming team in to county beaters. Already, Notts have won both the RLC 50 over and T20 Cups and now look set for the treble by winning Division 2 and gaining immediate promotion.
Brazilian footballer, Pele, once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” I disagree. It is more than that. Like leaders, some are born to be successful and others are not. Sussex CCC were incredibly fortunate in attracting two players who went on to become great coaches.
Which leaves us with Sussex CCC present Coach Mark Davis. One feels sympathy for Davis taking over the mantle from two such ‘greats’. Rather like Randolph Churchill having a father called Winston or Mark Thatcher and a mother named Margaret. Where do you go from there? How on earth do you emulate such people?
Which leads us back to Peter Moores.
I had the honour of interviewing him back in the Spring. Towards the end of our chat we talked about the Sussex good ol’ days. He reminisced about the infamous Members Rebellion in March 1997. His brief days as team captain. His strong and longstanding friendship with Tony Pigott. The many happy memories of the South Coast. And then the bombshell just popped out. It came from nowhere but his comment was heartfelt and genuine. “I would love to end my coaching career back at Sussex. It would be the perfect symmetry for me.”
Moores will be 55 years-old this December. After winning another Championship Trophy, this time with Notts no doubt, in the next few years, and breaking his own record of three trophies with three different counties, what a perfect moment to retire to the South Coast and end his coaching days regaining the glory years for Sussex.
We can but dream.