Moxon aims to keep production line flowing to sustain challenge

The club’s director of cricket said they are desperate to achieve sustained success after their best performance since they won the title in 2001.

Yorkshire won seven of their 16 games last season to finish 24.5 points behind leaders Durham.

Moxon’s men achieved 33 more points than third-placed Sussex, with Durham and Yorkshire comfortably the outstanding sides in Division One.

“We had a really good season but we don’t just want to be a one-hit wonder,” said Moxon.

“It’s vitally important that we strive to get better year on year.

“After the last game (against Surrey at The Oval), the message in the dressing room was simple.

“It was that we had a really good season and put up a great effort (to win the Championship), but we can’t afford to be complacent going forward.”

Central to Moxon’s aim is the continued development of a young squad of players, with Yorkshire having insufficient funds to splash around on new recruits.

Although the club have re-signed the New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson for next season, they have made it clear there will be no more signings this winter and that they will have to make progress with their existing squad.

This essentially crystallises Moxon’s challenge – that of helping to oversee the production line of young talent while striving to keep the club competitive at all levels.

Yorkshire have an enviable track record of bringing through quality cricketers – not least the current England quartet of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan and Gary Ballance – and pressure on the county naturally intensifies when such players are taken away for international duty.

“We’ve got to keep bringing the young lads through; it’s the only way we’re going to have sustained success,” insisted Moxon.

“Quite clearly, it’s been shown that when our lads do perform well they get looked at pretty quickly by England nowadays.

“We’ve always said as a club that it’s a good problem to have and that it’s a state of affairs that reflects well on the club as well as the players themselves.

“At the same time, it can be frustrating from our point of view because the aim is to try to produce sustained success and yet to have sustained success you need good players who, as well all know, get taken away.”

Yorkshire’s desire to bring on the next batch was highlighted by the sides they selected for this year’s Yorkshire Bank 40 one-day campaign.

As the Championship gained increasing priority, with Yorkshire leading the table for much of the season and mindful of the need to rest key pace bowlers such as Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Patterson, there were increasing opportunities for the next cabs off the rank.

Although results consequently suffered, with the club finishing second-bottom of Group C to the Unicorns, Moxon believes the long-term benefits could soon become apparent.

He is excited and enthused by the youngsters coming through at Headingley.

“We try and plan ahead and we’re already thinking of the next generation,” he said.

“The lads who’ve been playing YB40, for example, we’ve got to bring these lads on now to cover for the international calls we might get.

“Brezzy’s still got England time in him, there’s Root, Bairstow, Ballance – there’s going to be a number of players missing at various stages, and there’s also England Lions and England Under-19s.

“There are constant calls on players and it’s a constant challenge of trying to develop and replace.”

Moxon added: “The likes of Tattersall, Leaning, Rhodes, Fisher, Coad, Carver, Gibson, Shaw – we’ve got to try to bring these lads through in the next 12-18 months or so.

“They are the next generation, if you like, and that’s our challenge as a club going forward.

“The beauty of it, though, is that we’ve got this group of players we think are capable of stepping up to the plate.

“It’s a nice situation to be in with them and they’re a great group of lads who are all working tremendously hard.”

Moxon believes there is another way Yorkshire can ensure they remain Championship contenders for many years to come.

He said the senior players must challenge themselves to keep improving.

“It’s not just about bringing on the young lads and replacing those who get called away by England; it’s also about the established lads striving to do a bit more themselves,” he said.

“Adam Lyth, for example, can improve on what he achieved this year; he played some very good innings but, again, it’s all about consistency, and he can certainly be more consistent.

“Galey (Andrew Gale) had a good season, so, again, if he can reproduce that or even improve on it, that’s a massive plus.

“It’s vitally important that all our senior players perform consistently well and to their capabilities.

“If they do, and with the talented young lads we’ve got coming through, we’ll be okay.”

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