lover's lament (new poll at bottom of page)

Santa Adams' delivery of a new shiny captain just in time for Christmas may have bemused, intrigued or delighted Surrey fans - but it has certainly left Sussex fans with some unwelcome indigestion. For most of us, this all started as a rumour dismissed out of hand as a joke - as if, we thought, and moved on seamlessly to develop an addiction to the trailer for the new Sussex dvd, whilst pondering the 2010 fixtures and dreaming of the summer. (It is official, by the way, nothing makes you feel more like you're in division 2 than seeing who you are playing in division 2 published - I had forgotten that some of these teams even existed...)

The evolution from joke to actuality has been an uneasy path - from ha ha to really? it's true? how crazy! to obviously he will stay to noooo ... pleeeease stay to bugger, he's gone. And now I just feel like a fool for not seeing what must have been going on behind my back all along. So there we Sussex supporters huddle, like a collective jilted lover playing sad songs in the dark, knowing we are going to see our former flame flaunted in front of us when daylight comes. I don't blame RHB - not at all, really. But the Adams factor is hard to take & I haven't decided how I feel about him yet. (Scroll right down to the bottom of the whole page for new poll on this.) I do hope that included as part of the deal was a hands-off our players for ever clause which Adams had to sign in blood.

Anyway, the deed is done. We will be ok - more than ok. I predict that Joe Gatting will score more runs than Rory next season, that Murray Goodwin will be back to his best, and that Chris Nash will have a storming season.  A welcome balm to help with the current pain would be the news that Hoddy has signed until 2012. Santa Robbo - please could you fix that one? As for Chris Adams, he may resurrect Surrey with this move; on the other hand, he might end up looking like a bit of a turkey... We will wait and see.

Bugger ... he's gone