SO WHO IS MARTYN MOXON?

By Richard Watts
March 11 2007

Our new Director of Professional Cricket is no stranger to most of you, but it has been six years. My first memory of Barnsley born Martyn Moxon was watching him make 16 for Yorkshire Seconds against Scarborough in 1980, not a massive score but a couple of classy off drives...

to the ropes that were to become a trade mark.

He was a highly thought of youngster at that time having scored plenty of runs for the seconds and had already played in a Sunday League game. When his Championship opportunity came the next season in 1981 he made hundreds in his first two home matches. That was the start of a successful 16 year career that was prematurely ended by injury in 1997.

He went on to play 317 first class matches, scored 21,161 runs at an average of 42.83. Moxon made 45 hundreds, 274 for Yorkshire v Worcetershire at Worcester being the biggest. He played 277 matches for Yorkshire, scoring 18,973 runs at 43.71 and captained the side between 1990 and 1995. Moxon’s best season was in 1992 when he scored 1,385 runs at 53.26 a performance that helped to become one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1993.

Moxon was a classy right hander and it was no surprise when he forced his way into the England side in 1986, although when previously overlooked it looked as if he would be one of the best players never to play test cricket. His Test career can be described as disappointing, 10 games, 455 runs at 28.93. He never made a ton and is one of the few players to be dismissed for 99 in Tests (against New Zealand, was also 81 not out in the next match when the rain intervened).

On retirement, Moxon was appointed Director of Coaching at Yorkshire. He soon established a reputation of being a high-class coach and had a short spell assisting Duncan Fletcher with England. This part-time international job alledgedly contributed to him leaving Yorkshire, as it is rumoured the club suggested a proportionate wage cut for the time he was spending away from the county.

Yorkshire’s performances under his guidance were as follows:

1998 – CC 3rd; Sunday League 9th; B&H Semi-Final; Nat West 2nd rd.
1999 – CC 5th; National League 5th (Div 1); B&H Qtr-Final; Nat West Semi-Final
2000 – CC 3rd (Div 1); National League 2nd (Div 1); B&H Qtr-Final; Nat West 4th rd.

He left for Durham in 2001 to take up “an exciting new challenge” as 1st XI Coach.

Moxon’s Durham record is as follows:

2001 - CC 8th (Div 2); Norwich Union 2nd (Div 2); B&H Qtr-Final; C&G Qtr-Final.
2002 - CC 9th (Div 2); Norwich Union 8th (Div 2); B&H Group Stages; C&G 4th rd.
2003 - CC 6th (Div 2); National Cricket League 7th (Div 2); C&G 4th rd; Twenty20 Group Stages.
2004 - CC 9th (Div 2); National Cricket League 6th (Div 2); C&G 2nd rd; Twenty20 Group Stages.
2005 - CC 2nd (Div 2); National Cricket League 2nd (Div 2); C&G 1st rd; Twenty20 Group Stages.
2006 - CC 7th (Div 1); Pro40 8th (Div 1); C&G Group Stages; Twenty20 Group Stages.

On joining Durham in 2001 Moxon was quoted as saying “a big part of the coaches job is to get the best out of players” and he certainly went on to do that during his time at Durham. Paul Collingwood blossomed into a test regular under Moxon’s guidance but its in the development of fast bowlers at which Moxon has excelled. Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett are of course current England test players. Graeme Onions is another quick bowler who has graduated to the England squad.

Moxon was undoubtedly Durham’s most successful coach in their short history. A double promotion season in 2005 and by keeping them in Division One of the Championship he helped them achieve the highest ever placing in their history.

Yorkshire have secured a top class coach who has a proven and improving track record.