Ottis Gibson fostering a culture of conversation at Yorkshire CCC

A pint in the bar and a natter in the dressing room have always been two important staples in the success of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

As new coach Ottis Gibson plays his part in the cultural overhaul the tumultuous events of the winter have forced through, the former West Indies fast bowler is keen to revive a White Rose tradition that has been in danger of dying out.

Yorkshire are by no means unique in the sharing of knowledge or experience, but they have had more than most to hand out.

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Joe Root learnt from Michael Vaughan, who learnt from Geoffrey Boycott, who learnt from Brian Close, who learnt from Len Hutton, who learnt from Herbert Sutcliffe, who learnt from Wilfred Rhodes, who learnt from Lord Hawke and so on and so forth. So many great cricketing brains have inhabited the various Yorkshire dressing rooms since the mid-19th Century, it must have been very hard not to learn.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club's head coach Ottis Gibson at Headingley. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com Yorkshire County Cricket Club's head coach Ottis Gibson at Headingley. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Yorkshire County Cricket Club's head coach Ottis Gibson at Headingley. Picture: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

But the culture behind that has been on the wane across professional sport in the 21st Century. In this fitness-first age, post-match pints can be frowned on, but just chatting about the game is becoming rarer. Gibson is keen to get that back.

“They have been quite receptive,” says 52-year-old Gibson, who made his Barbados debut in 1990 and only retired as a Durham player in 2007, before heading straight into international-level coaching.

“I don’t really like saying ‘In my day’, but we didn’t have the social media stuff and whatever. So when we got off the field, when I played with Malcolm Marshall, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, we would sit around in the dressing room. Those guys would be dissecting the game, debriefing the day’s play or telling stories about previous games they’ve played.

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“When I was playing at Durham at the end of my career, those conversations around the dressing room were beginning to be less and less.

It’s good to talk: Dawid Malan talks to Harry Brook during a game last year, but it’s actually in the dressing room and around the cricket club that new head coach Ottis Gibson wants to hear his players conversing about the game. (Picture: John Clifton/SWPix.com)It’s good to talk: Dawid Malan talks to Harry Brook during a game last year, but it’s actually in the dressing room and around the cricket club that new head coach Ottis Gibson wants to hear his players conversing about the game. (Picture: John Clifton/SWPix.com)
It’s good to talk: Dawid Malan talks to Harry Brook during a game last year, but it’s actually in the dressing room and around the cricket club that new head coach Ottis Gibson wants to hear his players conversing about the game. (Picture: John Clifton/SWPix.com)

“But we were lucky that myself, Dale Benkenstein, Michael Di Venuto, Gareth Breese and Paul Collingwood were there, and we were the storytellers at the time and the ones to pass on our knowledge.

“It’s important to spend time with youngsters talking about situations and helping them understand that some of the things they are going to experience, we have already experienced them.

“If we can share those experiences, short-cut the mistakes somebody might make and fast-forward their learning, that can be invaluable.”

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As befits a man who bowled fast for as long as he did, Gibson is no slouch when it comes to fitness – it has been a big focus of Yorkshire’s pre-season – but cricket chat is just as valuable washed down with a Gatorade as a pint and a pipe.

Yorkshire's new head coach Ottis Gibson in his England days (Picture: PA)Yorkshire's new head coach Ottis Gibson in his England days (Picture: PA)
Yorkshire's new head coach Ottis Gibson in his England days (Picture: PA)

Even in these tougher times, there is still plenty of top-level knowledge to call on. Gibson is optimistic the county will see plenty of England captain Root before the summer Test season starts on June 2.

Yorkshire have just come back from a pre-season trip to Dubai where the coach has been hammering home his ideas about “teamship”. World Cup winner Adil Rashid was there, as was Dawid Malan, one of the world’s best Twenty20 batsmen. Both made big contributions without playing.

“I tasked Adil with helping the young spinners we have here with us – he’s been spending time with the Sullivan brothers (slow left-armers Harry and Josh) and (off-spinner) Jack,” reveals Gibson. “He’s been really good for us, he’s added some good value in his work with those young guys.

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“I also tasked Dawid Malan with passing on his knowledge to the young players. He’s been talking to (England Under-19 international) Will Luxton and guys like that.

Yorkshire's Steve Patterson (Picture: SWPix.com)Yorkshire's Steve Patterson (Picture: SWPix.com)
Yorkshire's Steve Patterson (Picture: SWPix.com)

“The two of those guys have been excellent.”

In that respect, shutting themselves away for 10 days in Dubai, far from the incessant talk about that other great Yorkshire tradition, internal political bickering, has been extremely useful.

“The main focus was to get away from England, the weather and play cricket but we’ve also used the time to have some good conversations and share my philosophies,” says former West Indies and South Africa coach Gibson.

“The players have had a very difficult winter. A lot’s been said.

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“It’s been nice to get away and get stuck into the cricket and gelling as a group.

“Myself and all the coaches are new in the environment, so it’s been about getting to know each other and talking cricket.

“A lot of the talk recently hasn’t been about cricket, so it’s been really good to see someone like Patto (captain Steve Patterson), for instance, talk cricket. We’ve been able to bounce my philosophy off his. It’s been fantastic to talk to him. He’s got a lot of experience in county cricket.”

The hallmark of that philosophy is ‘doing something special for Yorkshire whether it is this season or the season after’.

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“As individuals, I expect players to improve all the time but when we’re playing cricket on the field we’re going to try to win.

“The style of play is going to be positive, to try and win cricket matches. We are going to take the positive option on the field in pursuit of winning games of cricket.”

They might not take too kindly to all this new-fangled mumbo-jumbo about philosophy but talk of positive, winning Yorkshire cricket? Fred, Illy, Closey, Wardle, Rhodes, Sutcliffe, Lord Hawke and the rest would all have been nodding approvingly over their pints.

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