Robinson makes his mark

Mark Robinson has enjoyed a successful first year in charge of Sussex © Getty Images

Mark Robinson, Sussex’s Liverpool Victoria County Championship-winning coach, has hailed the effect county cricket is having on the England team.

Sussex last week won their second title in four years to complete the double this season, having already added the C&G Trophy to their silverware cabinet.

Robinson is impressed with the standard of county cricket in recent years and thinks the competitive spirit has helped the players to progress.

“I think it is great to have a two-divisional format," he told ecb.co.uk.

"I know there are some people out there who want to go back to one-division cricket and I see that as a huge backward step.

“We have seen how well the England team has done. There are now people coming out of county cricket and straight into the England set-up.”

Sussex have contributed two players to the national team in the last two years, with Michael Yardy and Matt Prior playing one-day internationals for England.

Luke Wright was also part of the ECB National Academy set-up last winter.

“Our own Yardy has stepped up and done well," Robinson added. "Then there’s (Alastair) Cook and (Jamie) Dalrymple and Sajid Mahmood, who have come from county cricket and been able to perform at international level.”

Michael Yardy and Sajid Mahmood have made the step up to England level this season

Robinson is pleased the system is feeding players into the international team so successfully, putting it down to the fact more games have greater significance and therefore generate extra interest.

“County cricket must be doing something right and I think the two divisions are part of that," he said.

“In the final round of matches you had a great game at Headingley, at the Rose Bowl obviously, and also at Trent Bridge.

“Then you had Worcestershire and Essex competing for the last Second Division promotion spot.

“To have games like that, on the last day of the season, is great for cricket.

“Anything that creates this kind of interest is fantastic.”

The reason for Sussex’s success go back to the early stages, with exceptional teamwork and team spirit being stressed by everyone involved with the club.

“We have laid good foundations," Robinson said. "We have had good people working for the club and playing for the club. Having good people is an important commodity.

“There are a lot of unsung heroes behind the scenes. The work that Peter Moores did, and Chris Adams, has laid good foundations for everyone to build upon.

Chris Adams and Peter Moores formed a strong partnership during their time together

“The club is about a lot of people who don’t get their names in the headlines. It’s about those unsung heroes in the team, as well as the big players.

“Sussex are a family club, where nobody is greater than anyone else.”

Robinson took over the coaching role at Sussex only at the end of last season, when Moores was promoted to National Academy director.

But he has wasted little time in making his mark. Having been part of the coaching set-up at Sussex for several years, Robinson's task of assuming control was not as difficult as it might have been.

“I have done it my way and it is fractionally different because I am a different person,” Robinson said.

“One of Peter’s strengths was that he made everyone feel included, and I worked very close to him.

“In many ways he was my mentor and he taught me a lot. I worked side by side with him and I felt very much part of it.

“So, when the time came, it felt like a seamless transition.”