Robbo speaks with sussexcricket.co.uk on eve of first match

Sussexcricket.co.uk today caught up with Mark Robinson just before he went to bed ahead of England Under 19’s first match of the World Cup against Hong Kong this evening.

Robbo has spent the past couple of weeks getting to know the ins and outs of the young England stars and after three warm up games, things are looking quite good for the lads.

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SC: How have you and the squad settled in to New Zealand?

MR: Well first of all, it’s freezing over here! Not quite the temperatures that you have been experiencing in England, but it’s only 15 degrees in the day and this is summer time.

We’ve had three warm up games so far and the signs have been pretty good really. We played Wellington ‘B’, who were playing Jesse Rynder in a bid to get him back to fitness, and we comfortably chased their 202 – winning with 15 overs to spare and only 4 down. Ben Stokes, who plays for Durham, played a blistering innings – smashing 60. He’s a lad with real talent and is also New Zealand born, so he’s created a bit of hype in the media over here.

We then played Papa New Guinea Under 19s, who we beat easily again. We dominated them with the ball and then chased down their 140 with 8 wickets to spare in jsut 25 overs!

Then we took on New Zealand Under 19s and this brought us back down to earth with a bang ... which is a good thing. They caught us cold and we only managed to post 165 in a reduced 43 overs. They chased them down losing just 5 wickets and with 15 overs to spare, so it was a bit of a thumping.

SC: How are you enjoying the challenge?

MR:  The boys have done well in practice and it’s been very interesting working with the group. They’ve all had a varying amount of experience, so it’s very interesting to see how they are going to cope as a unit, so I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and seeing how young aspiring professionals cope in these situations.

It’s also been great having Carl Hopkinson here with me. We’ve been working closely together – taking the training sessions. He’s done a bit of work with the lads previously, so he knows them a bit better than me, which is a help. It’s a great experience for Hoppo as he takes on his new coaching role at the club next year and this is great preparation in terms of that.


SC: How do you see the lad’s chances in the tournament?

MR: I’ve got no real benchmark on under 19s cricket apart from the two games that we have played against Under 19 opponents, so I’m really not sure where we stand to be honest. However, we have some very talented big names (in terms of under 19s cricket), so if they turn up to the park, I’d say we have as good a chance as anyone.

I think I’m right in saying that only one under 19s World Cup has been won by a team outside of Asia, so I’m hoping the colder weather will give us a bit of an advantage there!


SC: How does it differ from coaching the Sussex squad?

MR: Obviously the group isn’t as mature as the Sussex squad and I don’t mean that in a condescending way. The whole squad ranges from 16 to 19 years of age, so it’s different in the fact that I don’t have senior players to lean on. Throughout my coaching career I have had that luxury – even when I was taking the 2nd XI at Sussex, with the Hoppos and Nashys around.

However, I’ve been trying to get to know them on a personal front, which is hugely important I feel. I’m not sure how much time these guys have ever spent their coaches, so a strong relationship should help the whole squad.

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We’ll keep you updated with everything that goes on in the Under 19’s World Cup, so keep checking back for regular updates. England play Hong Kong tonight at 9.30pm GMT and it’s live on Sky Sports 2.