Robinson welcomes Adams

Chris Adams

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Sussex coach Mark Robinson is delighted at Chris Adams’ u-turn in rejecting Yorkshire but is confident the Liverpool Victoria County Champions are strong enough to withstand the loss of any senior player.

Adams, 36, made the surprise move of back-tracking on his decision to switch to an all-encompassing role with Yorkshire, returning instead to the club he has guided to two titles since 2003.

His decision provides an early boost for Sussex, who begin the defence of their championship at home to Kent next April.

Robinson said: “Chris came in to the club and spoke to the chairman and came to see me and asked if we would have him back.

“We have got our leader back and he is a good player - of course we are pleased. It is a boost for the county.

“Chris is a fairly large cog in the machine but it was not the end of the world for Sussex [when he left] and, equally, he is not coming back as the saviour of Sussex.

“The club is not about one person, whether it be Chris Adams, Peter Moores (former director of cricket, who left a year ago to take charge at the England Academy) or Mushtaq Ahmed.

Peter Moores played a key role in Sussex's recent success

“I have been saying for three or four weeks we will be fine. Senior players are used to winning and we would have gone all right.

“Under Peter Moores something has been created within the club. A great club is not built on one person. Great clubs have great players and as time goes by they have to lose great players.

“A club that is modelled on one or two players is going to be great for a short period of time. We hope that is not the case for us.”

Adams will take up the county’s offer of a 12-month extension to his current deal, meaning he will be contracted for two further years, but it has not yet been decided whether he will reprise his successful role as skipper.

“We haven’t decided if he will be captain yet,” said Robinson.

“When he left we spoke to the senior players about who they thought should be the next captain and we will speak to those players again.”

Following the publication of the 2007 fixtures, Sussex look forward to a Hove derby against Kent to kick off their championship season on April 18 - a day after they have completed the title-holders’ traditional curtain-raiser against MCC at Lord’s.

There may be a reassuring quality about the opponents Sussex beat in a dramatic match at Canterbury in the penultimate round of fixtures last September - to put themselves on the brink of their second title in four seasons.

Mark Robinson enjoyed a profitable 2006 © Getty Images

But by the time Robinson’s charges are asked to take on their neighbours yet again only two weeks later, the familiarity of Kent could be wearing a little thin and perhaps beginning to verge on something rather less agreeable.

By May 2 next year, Sussex will be facing the same opponents for the third time in five championship rounds, although they did at least manage a day off last season when they sneaked that all-important two-wicket win at the St Lawrence Ground with more than four sessions to spare.

“It is interesting to have two championship fixtures against them in such a short space of time,” said Robinson.

“Last year is irrelevant and it is the next two games against them which are more important. The past is past.”

Lancashire are likely to be Sussex’s main rivals for the title and begin their campaign - in pursuit of a first outright title since 1934 - with a trip to Birmingham to take on Warwickshire.

Lancashire are due at Hove at the end of May and must wait until after the bulk of the Twenty20 hiatus and the onset of Pro40 before the return fixture at Old Trafford.