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Sussex sign West Indian pace ace
10:00am Monday 5th May 2008
Comments (15)Sussex are signing West Indies fast bowler Corey Collymore.
The 30-year-old from Barbados is expected to arrive tomorrow after receiving a work permit at the weekend and could make his debut in Thursday's FP Trophy game against Surrey.
Collymore has been signed as a Kolpak on a one-year contract and will attend an ECB hearing tomorrow to have his registration is ratified and Sussex do not envisage any problems.
Collymore has taken 93 wickets in 30 Tests and 83 in 84 one-day internationals and will replace Ryan Harris, who returned to Australia after playing just one game for the county last month.
Coach Mark Robinson said: "We did our homework and spoke to a lot of people and what I like having talked to Corey is that he is hungry to do well, he sees this as a real opportunity to enhance his career.
"Murray Goodwin and Mushtaq Ahmed have both spoken highly of him and I talked to (England bowling coach) Ottis Gibson who is convinced he will perform for us.
"From all the reports we've had he is a hard worker and a good person who perhaps has a point to prove after being left out of the West Indies squads this winter."
Although Collymore is not regarded as express pace, he can bowl upwards of 80mph. It is his ability to move the ball off the seam and through the air which should ensure he does well in English conditions.
He is currently ranked 11th in the ICC Test rankings despite not playing since last June against England when he was West Indies' leading wicket-taker in the series with 11. He was appointed Barbados captain earlier this year.
Robinson added: "His record stacks up and I think he's one of the unluckiest bowlers around in world cricket. When I've seen him bowl I often think how has this guy not got five wickets?' because he is a very skilled operator."
The Harris fiasco has left Sussex desperately short of firepower, especially with Luke Wright likely to be in England's one-day squad later in the season.
Robinson said: "Our problems have been well documented. I'd still include Luke as one of our three bowlers while Jason Lewry and James Kirtley are coming back from injury so we've been a bit vulnerable.
"We needed a boost in that department and I think Corey will give the whole club a lift. He's a proven performer who sees this as a great chance to re-ignite his career."
Collymore is the first West Indian at Hove since fellow Barbadian Vasbert Drakes had three seasons with the county between 1994-96.
Is Collymore a good signing for Sussex?
Your Say YourThe Argus
Kevin, Hove says...
1:21pm Mon 5 May 08
martin, croydon says...
2:25pm Mon 5 May 08
Graem Peters, london says...
3:29pm Mon 5 May 08
Major TD Tate-Gates (retd), Mrs Tate-Gates' boudoir says...
3:42pm Mon 5 May 08
He is tall enough for the Guards which means he will be head and shoulders above these lurpak signings from other colonial areas. This is excellent news, neither my paperboy, nor my accountant, will possibly have guessed that young Holding would sign for us. Chins up, our first championship is closer than ever. I just hope that I am able to be there at seasons end and that the lopsy feelings I get from my old shrapnel head wounds die down.
Mr Zuiderent, Holland says...
5:03pm Mon 5 May 08
Wright proved yesterday he is not good enough to bowl at this level.
Corey should be enough to keep us up!
Gary Charman, says...
6:19pm Mon 5 May 08
Well done Mark and Chris, ps the committee still has to prove it'self on several accounts at this time.
Im sure with the Australian team coming next season for a 4 day they are looking ahead and working on profit margins.
I doubt really if some of them look further than the end of their nose to be honest.
Kevin, Hove says...
9:27pm Mon 5 May 08
Gary Charman, says...
9:45am Tue 6 May 08
As for the committe, I don't ever remember me sending in a comment that praised the committee as per your comment above to me.
The clubs success is down to the people playing on the pitch, if our committee were that good then profit margins would be seen on the books now, not yearly losses.
ps: You might want to look at the number of staff employed by the club outside of the playing staff.
I think if it was your money they were playing with, there might be a drastic re-organisation of numbers. A possible cost saving measure there may help reduce the debts.
John, says...
1:15pm Tue 6 May 08
Even when we make a new signing, you still have to have a pop at the committee by making sure that they get no credit for the signing, and try and back this up saying how you "expect" things happen.....oh, and this is all against the backdrop of the huge assumption you have made whereby (you hope) the committee were to blame for the Harris situation.
"As for the committe, I don't ever remember me sending in a comment that praised the committee as per your comment above to me.
The clubs success is down to the people playing on the pitch, if our committee were that good then profit margins would be seen on the books now, not yearly losses."
That's about right - failing to recognise the committee's contribution to Sussex's success of the past few years. As Kevin says, consider where the club was back in 1997, when a new committee were elected, many of whom are still on it. But then you probably weren't following Sussex in 1997 as they weren't too good.
If you can't make the slightest link between Sussex revolution and new committee in 1997 and 7 trophies (including 3 championships) between 1999 and 2007 then you really are deluded.
POC, Hove says...
3:41pm Tue 6 May 08
Gary Charman, says...
7:11pm Tue 6 May 08
There is no hidden agenda, just facts, a large non player staff on salary, profit making ideas that have badly gone wrong and cost money to the club.
Inadequate questioning of a new potential signing that has had to fly back after playing one game.
Any major organisation that had this going on within it's walls would look to change it'self within.
If not, then with further money being given to the club, how can any supporter be sure the money is being spent to its best ability.
A previous input from someone advised, if you used the legacy money for 1 year and just claimed interest you would have enough money to clear any debts without taking risks.
ps: I have been a supporter since 1981, so yes, im a liitle younger than yourselves, but the passion is still the same as yours and the willingness to see the club grow is second to none.
However, I look to the results off the field as well as on to see the way forward with the club and with the present non playing staff sterring it I have my concerns, that is all.
John, says...
11:24pm Tue 6 May 08
Some fair points, though the "inadequate questioning" you talk about was surely done in his ECB interview which gave him the all-clear as to his intentions. Sussex signed him because he had a UK passport. Any subsequent veering away from that probably says more about him and his agent than the club.
Also, with regards to 1 year's interest clearing debts, isn't that what's happened ?
Gary Charman, says...
12:08pm Wed 7 May 08
Well if we had been clearing our debts then we wouldn't have a large GDP loss on last season and the season before. Luckily as the new housing/stand has been put on hold then interest money can still be used to slear the ongoing debts from the non-profits each year.
The concern will be, what happens when we have started to build these, and then interest per year will be reduced thus little to go back on to pay off the debts.
It just needs the committee to look at themselves and the running of the non-playing side to se if they have the people to go in the right direction with.
Good discussions though, perhaps we cna get to have a beer on a county match and discuss further.
John, says...
11:06pm Wed 7 May 08
Indeed we could!
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Gary Charman, says...
12:45pm Mon 5 May 08
I think with Chris as his captain he will become a good signing for us and from knowing him in the past he will give 100%.