Adams: Real reason I turned my back on Yorkshire (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Adams: Real reason I turned my back on Yorkshire

12:33pm Sunday 6th July 2008 in

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Sussex captain Chris Adams has revealed that a lack of confidence in Yorkshire’s top brass was the main reason for him turning his back on the Tykes in the winter of 2006.

Adams, the former Derbyshire and England batsman, was just moments away from accepting a role at Headingley as captain and director of cricket.

But the 38-year-old has explained the whole saga that rocked York-shire in a new book, Flight of the Martlets: The Golden Age of Sussex Cricket.

Adams says the first approach was made at the Professional Cricketers’ Association dinner, three days after Sussex won their second County Championship title in 2006.

“I didn’t know who Stewart Regan (Yorkshire’s chief executive) was until he introduced himself,” recalls the man nicknamed ‘Grizzly’.

“He said he had spoken to Yorkshire coach David Byas and that my name had come up as someone who might restructure their cricket operation. I gave him my mobile number and that was as far as it went.”

Authors Bruce Talbot and Paul Weaver then explain how Regan arranged a meeting with White Rose chairman Colin Graves and how Adams broke the news to Sussex.

Adams continued: “Like Regan, I didn’t know Colin Graves from Adam. Captaining Yorkshire was not going to swing it for me but the director of cricket job did appeal.

“I gave them my own ideas and explained that by bringing in key personnel I thought I could get the structure right. The financial package was mind-blowing.”

“I e-mailed David (Green, the Sussex chairman) just to make sure everything was agreed. His sign-off line was ‘everything which glistens isn’t necessarily gold’. I rang Colin Graves to accept the job.”

A meeting was arranged for the following day where Adams would meet the media. That was when his mind started to wander.

“We drove to Leeds on a miserable day weather-wise, made worse by hold-ups on the M1. I will never forget looking into the rear-view mirror and seeing my two girls’ faces. They were as miserable as the weather.”

Adams’ worries increased when Yorkshire’s insistence that he would have full control over player recruitment ‘was starting to sound like an empty promise’ because Regan had just announced the signing of Younis Khan. Adams says: “I was stunned. The next day we went through my restructuring plans. I wanted a first-team coach, a physiologist and David Byas’ new role as head of cricket development clearly defined.

“But my plans to bring in two new people were dismissed out of hand. I was expected to say (to the media) how proud I was to be at Yorkshire, when ten minutes earlier they had poured scorn on my plans.”

Adams later explains how he drove back to Sussex from Leeds at 5am the following week with his mind changed. He signed a new contract at Hove that afternoon.

The only issue was the call to Regan: “Naturally he was stunned. He insisted I met him and Graves.

“No contract offer had been signed. I said I would be happy to talk to Graves but I didn’t want to meet him face to face. That phone call never came.”