Wait 164 years for a Championship, then two pop along at once. Sussex hoped the transfer from Peter Moores to Mark Robinson as coach would be invisible; in fact it was conspicuous for the right reasons: more wins than any county (26), fewest defeats (11) and an old-fashioned double, which was one batting collapse short of a treble. Not even Moores managed that. But, as Robinson ungrudgingly admits, he reaped the benefits of the workethic, unity and empathy for individuality sowed by Moores. Only three mainstays of the 2003 Championship-winning side – Tony Cottey, Mark Davis and Tim Ambrose – were not around this year. And with Mike Yardy’s all-round devotion, Matt Prior’s vigorous self-belief, the first-half irrepressibility of Rana Naved-ul- Hasan and the second-half brio of Yasir Arafat, this was a step up, as Moores concedes. If Luke Wright’s stats were a mild let-down, he can only benefit from an apprenticeship in a largely homegrown side featuring the world’s foremost googlier (even Chris Adams thanked Allah for Mushie, the first bowler to top the Championship wicket-takers’ list four seasons running since Tich Freeman in 1935, Freeman’s eighth in a row), the circuit’s most competitive captain in Adams, least-sung left-armer in Jason Lewry and grittiest Zimbabwean in Murray Goodwin – plus James Kirtley, an ageing comeback kid who won a Lord’s final.

Rob Steen The Wisden Cricketer