Rob Andrew named as chief executive at Sussex

Rob Andrew, the former England rugby union fly-half and long-term professional rugby director at the RFU, has been unveiled as the new chief executive of Sussex.

Andrew, 53, played first-class cricket for Cambridge University between 1982 and 1985, and also turned out for Yorkshire's 2nd XI as a batsman and offspinner.

His rugby career included 71 caps for England and five for the British and Irish Lions. He played in three World Cups between 1987 and 1995, before spending ten years at the RFU, eventually leaving at the end of last season.

He succeeds Zac Toumazi as Sussex's chief executive at a tricky period in the club's long history. The club was relegated at the end of 2015, bringing to an end a period of unprecedented success including three County Championships between 2003 and 2007, and with the ECB turning its attention towards the new city-based league scheduled to be launched in 2020, Andrew's high-profile appointment is intriguingly timed.

He will take over at Sussex in January 2017, with a brief to build on Toumazi's work in overseeing the integration of the professional club with the recreational board and its 245 affiliated league clubs.

Commenting on the appointment, Jim May, chairman of Sussex said: "I am extremely pleased about the appointment of Rob Andrew. He has exceptional experience, both playing and administering sport which will be of great help to our cricket management delivering success."

"I am thrilled and really excited to be joining Sussex," Andrew said. "The structures that have been put in place under the Sussex Cricket Limited umbrella have laid a very strong foundation for the future.

"I am looking forward to working with everyone connected with Sussex to help create success in professional cricket, recreational cricket and community programmes and ensuring that Hove remains a very special cricket ground.

"I will be focusing on driving forward the strategy over the next few years and helping write the next chapter in the rich history of cricket in Sussex. These are exciting times for Sussex Cricket and cricket in general and I can't wait to get started."