Sussex won the Twenty20 Cup in 2009

Sussex coach Mark Robinson says his players must cope with the mental highs and the lows of the Friends Life t20.

The Sharks begin their campaign against Essex Eagles at Hove on Thursday.

Robinson told BBC Sussex: "We have it in ourselves to go close, but we also know this is a brutal competition with the quality of the teams.

"When you have winning momentum you can ride with it. The key will be if we have a set-back, it's about how quickly we can bounce back."

Sussex, winners of the trophy in 2009, started last year's tournament with eight wins in their first nine matches but were knocked out at the quarter-final stage.

"Last year everybody got a bit emotional," Robinson continued. "We got a bit high when we were winning, but a bit low when we were losing.

"If we can live in the middle ground and not get too carried away, we can protect our nerves.

"The players need to be ready to be brave, aggressive and vibrant but equally controlled and clinical."

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