Warwickshire CCC unofficial fans forum
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https://x.com/thecricketermag/status/1717823562864595361?s=61&t=ce_j8EVfISY_eSiF63-Y0w

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Interesting. Always thought him a bit overrated. He's had loads of issues with illness and injury too. Has pace and can bit though I suppose and he's a left armer which we don't have currently.

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Andy wrote:

Interesting. Always thought him a bit overrated. He's had loads of issues with illness and injury too. Has pace and can bit though I suppose and he's a left armer which we don't have currently.

FINALLY, an experienced left arm seamer to replace Barker - its only taken 5 years ! Its a shame it will only be for white ball though. And as Andy says, he has had lots of injury issues - just hope they've been largely sorted. Not as good a batsman as KB, but he is no slouch in the lower order.


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Just had a quick at his stats, his record is very modest indeed.

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One aggrieved Sussex supporter on twitter/X says:
"Goodbye and good riddance. Remember everything we have done for you George, reap what you sow. Enjoy the money, you money grabbing **!"

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GerryShedd wrote:

One aggrieved Sussex supporter on twitter/X says:
"Goodbye and good riddance. Remember everything we have done for you George, reap what you sow. Enjoy the money, you money grabbing **!"

Don’t think that’s the general view, most are sad to see him go. Another casualty of the toxic management at Sussex.
Talking of the Sussex management I see their CEO Rob Andrew has left to take up a newly created appointment with the ECB, Managing Director of county cricket.

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It looks like Rob Andrew is stepping into the shoes of Neil Snowball. The Cricketer says:
"Former England rugby union international Andrew's newly created position replaces Neil Snowball's role as managing director of county cricket, with the latter moving on to become managing director of competitions and major events."
Talking of snowballs, George Dobell recently reported that ECB payroll costs rose last year from £54m to £67m. The Rob Andrew appointment with Neil Snowball moving to another post will only add to these increases. No wonder George's article was headed: "The ECB is a money pit".

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Unless I've missed it, I haven't seen any announcement of the George Garton move either from Sussex or Warwickshire.

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There's been a couple of times when Dobell has announced a Warwickshire signing before any official announcement from the club.

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Interesting one from a Sussex fan friend of mine.
Apparently Gartons mum is a rabid Sussex fan, and she posted that essentially Garton fell out with Farbrace and asked to be released from his contract.
Robinson used Burgess and Briggs as examples of players who’ve made the same move and succeeded as a way to convince Garton to sign for the Bears, as he had a lot of other suitors.

The fall out, (again according to Gartons mother) was from earlier in the season when multiple times Farbrace wouldn’t pick him and kept claiming to the press that he was injured despite Garton saying he was fit and made himself available to play all formats.
Some Sussex fans think this is a combination of Farbrace thinking Garton was unreliable fitness wise and was trying to push him out as he’s an expensive player and they have some money issues caused by Rob Andrew, and want to make some big overseas signings to bolster an inexperienced side.

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That's very interesting, though mum is hardly an unbiased observer and her opinions do raise some questions.
If George really did/does want to play all formats but was prevented by Farbrace, why has he chosen to come to a county (out of all the many other counties that supposedly wanted him) that has only offered him a white ball contract?
And if the county really wanted rid of him, why didn't they just agree to tear up his contract rather than insisting that he bought it out, which normally only happens when it is the player who wants to move and the county wants to keep him.
Out of the ten people who have posted on the Sussex discussion forum, I think nine are pleased to see him go and one is sorry. Even allowing for the fact that discussion forum posters can be quite negative (yes, really), that's quite a majority. The consensus seems to be that he always seems to be fit when franchise teams are paying him but he's too often injured when Sussex need him.
Still no announcement from either club. Could it be that he has to pass a medical before the contract can be signed?
Anyway, we shall see.
Because he will probably play in the Hundred, we shall presumably only see him in the Vitality Blast.

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I’ve no idea either way. All I know is what my friend has told me. Though from the sounds of it, most of the people on his message board are sad to see him go.

What might be driving the forcing to buy it out is that Sussex apparently are in a tough place budget-wise.
Their entire financial plan was heavily reliant on updating the offices at the sea end of the ground and then leasing them out, but since Covid the demand for office space has gone off a cliff and they can’t lease them. The club are now having to work out how to sustain itself financially, and needing to be prudent financially.

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Having looked on the two Sussex related on-line forums, you're right, BristolBear, that whilst posters on one of them seem glad to see George go, posters on The Inner Circle are on the whole really sorry.
The lady poster who I assume is George's mother says, amongst other comments:
"George asked to be released from his contract with Sussex because he became more and more disillusioned, undervalued and unhappy at the club. So much so that he felt he’d fallen out of love with the game and questioned his future in cricket.
His move to Warwickshire is an attempt to get that love of the game back.
He has signed a 2 year white ball contract but with a pay-as-you-play red ball added on.
One of the main reasons he went to Warks was because of Robbo.
The Cricketer have jumped the gun somewhat. I believe it was going to be announced on Monday."
 
It's good news that he may play 4 day cricket as well as white ball, otherwise it just looks like a Vitality Blast deal.

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GerryShedd wrote:

Having looked on the two Sussex related on-line forums, you're right, BristolBear, that whilst posters on one of them seem glad to see George go, posters on The Inner Circle are on the whole really sorry.
The lady poster who I assume is George's mother says, amongst other comments:
"George asked to be released from his contract with Sussex because he became more and more disillusioned, undervalued and unhappy at the club. So much so that he felt he’d fallen out of love with the game and questioned his future in cricket.
His move to Warwickshire is an attempt to get that love of the game back.
He has signed a 2 year white ball contract but with a pay-as-you-play red ball added on.
One of the main reasons he went to Warks was because of Robbo.
The Cricketer have jumped the gun somewhat. I believe it was going to be announced on Monday."
 
It's good news that he may play 4 day cricket as well as white ball, otherwise it just looks like a Vitality Blast deal.

With an impending Henry Brookes announcement, I wouldn't be surprised to see Garton also being signed up for a more full time red ball deal.


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Still no announcement from either Sussex or Warwickshire about George Garton.

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I think these apparent comments from his mom have clouded things this sort of stuff shouldn't be in the public domain, counties/coaches etc don't like this sort of thing. Its a bit cringeworthy. Still imagine an announcement will be not far away.

Talk on the circuit is that this lad is a bit soft, you can sort of see how it's maybe come about as well...

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Well, this is interesting:
https://sussexcricket.co.uk/news/george-garton-depart-sussex
Departure from Sussex but no mention of Warwickshire.

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Looking at that. I am starting to understand why so many players fled Sussex like rats on a sinking ship over the last 3 years.
Compare the statement Middlesex or Durham gave about Jon Simpson or Rushworth leaving, to the whole short paragraph Sussex managed to put together about Garton.
I understand he hasn’t been there as long and isn’t of the same stature. But he’s a homegrown, England capped player, you’d have thought they’d be able to at least, even if through gritted teeth, put together a nicer send off.

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Yeah that's poor.

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The Sussex Inner Circle website agrees about the inadequate statement from Sussex, And mum says:
"It’s just a real shame that communication broke down as it did. I’m not saying George wasn’t in some way to blame, he isn’t the greatest communicator (I know from experience) but I don’t think it’s particularly professional of the club to be so blunt.
George has worn a Sussex shirt for 16 years since U10’s and I’ve been the proudest of mums to see him wearing it.
I’m still a Sussex fan though, let’s hope it’s a good move for both Sussex and George."