Gilbert looks back with anger

Dave Gilbert once likened being coach of Surrey to the script of an Indiana Jones film. "Lots of excitement, but a lot of booby traps along the way." What then of his new home at Sussex? Jane Austen? Jurassic Park? The Towering Inferno? A little of each perhaps. The cavernous Oval and the cosy County Ground are worlds apart, in terms of feel, finance and future, most would say. Surrey won the Benson and Hedges Cup, their second trophy in Gilbert's two years in charge, and were still in contention for the Championship until early September. Sussex were set fair for the wooden spoon for most of the season.

On the face of it, bracing sea air is not much compensation for a life on cricket's breadline. But with two children to settle in schools and a wife who has been forced to move 10 times in nine years, Gilbert sees the swap to jacket and tie as "the first day of the next 20 years of my life". Tony Pigott, the radical new chief executive of Sussex, offered Gilbert the dual role as his deputy and as director of coaching; Surrey had no administrative vacancy. "I could have saddled up for another year's coaching, but it would have been a year wasted," Gilbert said. "People must think I'm barmy, but I've never shied away from a challenge. The timing of this is perfect."

There is too a hint that the respected Australian has had a bellyful of the modern cricketer, the ones with agents and attitudes, of whom the Surrey dressing-room had its fair quota. The last week has been spent discussing new contracts at The Oval, a revealing pyschological drama, not much enjoyed by Gilbert. "You might get someone coming in and saying `I want this and this' and you think `hang on, what have you done for the club?' Cricketers are very well paid, considering 100 people come to watch them play."

Gilbert's first task is to persuade Shane Warne to spend next summer by the seaside. The captaincy, conveniently vacated by Peter Moores, a six-figure salary and a renewed acquaintance with Gilbert could make Sussex an attractive proposition. "I don't think money's the issue for Warnie. A couple of jeans ads could make him that back in Australia. He might want to come over to win something, he might just want to experience county cricket, he might just want to get away from everyone wanting a piece of him. If he came, it would be a real shot in the arm for county cricket. Look what Lara did. He lit the place up." Two phone messages have yet to be answered. A pre-emptive strike was planned for half-time in the Australian Rules final which features St Kilda, Warne's team. "I can't believe he won't be watching that."

Better left unvoiced is Gilbert's concern over the quantity of county cricket. "It is obscene how much is expected of players and coaches. Someone like Graham Thorpe gets drained very quickly with cricket. I gave him a game off against Yorkshire and then he played on the Sunday and got a hundred. And you know how much he hates the Sunday slog.

"Because there is too much cricket, people aren't reacting as they should to low scores or short stays at the crease. If you miss out today, there's always another hit tomorrow. Last year at Essex, Adam Hollioake batted five hours for 130 and he was so thrilled because he'd batted for so long. Now five hours for a hundred. I'd reckon that's about par for the course. Somehow it's almost regarded as criminal to bat too long." Equally, as a good one himself, Gilbert laments the passing of the line-and-length grinder. "The batsman who sets out his stall for six hours, the guy who bowls 24 overs, 3 for 60, not overly talented, but who does the basics right. There's a lot to be said for them." Surrey's team of all the talents ignored the basics too often for Gilbert's liking, not least Ben Hollioake, whose ability is not yet matched by application.

"His languid elegance is breathtaking," Gilbert said. "But he's played 20 first-class games and has yet to score 100 or take five wickets in an innings. That's a sobering thought. The biggest threat to him is all the distractions, the new Ian Botham and all that. He's driving round in a sponsored Merc and he's getting the wrong view of the world, can't help it at the age of 19. So much of the Ben Hollioake story was based on two innings in front of full houses at Lord's. At Canterbury last Saturday, he played a disgraceful shot. He needs such careful handling."

Surrey are in search of a high-profile Australian replacement. Sussex have found a rarity, a former Test cricketer articulate and intelligent enough to break down the barriers between dressing-room and office. The start of the next 20 years of his life. "I'll be 57 then and ready for retirement." After Indiana Jones, the Brighton Beach Memoirs.