Marcus Hook breaks down how Surrey CCC won their 21st County Championship title

BY MARCUS HOOK

Surrey wrapped up their 21st County Championship title with a game to spare last Friday, with a 10-wicket victory at the Oval coming shortly after Hampshire, their main challengers, succumbed to Kent.

Let’s look at how Surrey did it.

THE SQUAD

Injuries and England calls have held the Oval outfit back in recent years but such is the quality of the squad assembled by director of cricket Alec Stewart, those bumps in the road now seem easier to negotiate.

Stewart said: “We knew if we are going to win the championship then it will be as a group – it’s been a real squad effort. We know we’re going to lose players to England, so we’ve played 23 players this year, of which over half have come from our academy and age-group structure. Their will to win and the way they’ve all helped each other has been a pleasure to watch.”

Head coach Gareth Batty added: “It’s very difficult making sure you’ve got 20-30 people all pulling in the same direction. Continuity is a huge thing in sport.

“So, we looked at the consistency of the whole group. In training, we work as hard as anybody and that breeds confidence. That is always going to be our challenge, make no bones about it, we want to produce England players.

“To keep everybody firing and in good form is credit to all the management.”

BURNS’ CAPTAINCY

It is no coincidence that Rory Burns played in every game when Surrey won the championship in 2018, and so too this summer. In the intervening period, he has progressed as a tactician. Playing international cricket seems to have informed that side of his game. Burns would dearly love to add to his 32 Test caps but, for now, England’s loss is Surrey’s gain.

Stewart said: “Having Rory as a leader adds so much to the dressing room. He’s a man of few words, but when he speaks everyone listens and he leads by example.”

OVERSEAS SIGNINGS

Having not only experienced, but also consistently available overseas players in Hashim Amla and Kemar Roach was crucial.

Amla was one of three ever-presents for Surrey in the championship, the others being openers Burns and Ryan Patel.

Burns said of the overseas pair: “What they’ve given us on the field and off of it has been outstanding. They’re so open and willing to give advice, it’s almost as if what they do on the pitch is the easy bit.”

Even when Australia’s Aaron Hardie deputised for Roach in one game, at Scarborough, he played a crucial hand with the bat in a come-from-behind victory over Yorkshire that was sealed with just three balls to spare.

WEIGHT OF RUNS

Twelve of the 25 players used by Surrey in this year’s County Championship averaged 40 or more with the willow. Burns, Amla, Patel, Will Jacks and Ben Foakes – who was as outstanding as ever as wicketkeeper – supplied the bulk. But such was the abundance of options it meant Jamie Smith – Surrey’s only double centurion (against Gloucestershire at Bristol) – was limited to eight appearances.

CUTTING EDGE

With Surrey going into the campaign having won just five of the 32 first-class matches that filled the three years between titles, the question was how, with the ball, they would make light of Rikki Clarke’s retirement. But in Dan Worrall and Jamie Overton it was like having not one but two new signings.

Overton had only taken six wickets in nine four-day appearances since joining from Somerset at the end of 2020, and each of Worrall’s two seasons with Gloucestershire (in 2018 and 2021) were plagued by injury.

Overton said: “When I came to Surrey I wanted to perform straight away. But, instead of just letting things happen, I tried to make them. I had a chat with Azhar Mahmood before the start of the season and the work we did allowed me to bring both intensity into my action, as well as more control.

“Dan Worrall has been an unbelievably good signing this year. He has made a big difference. But to have Kemar Roach and Jordan Clark, and talented young lads like Tom Lawes to bowl with too, has been just brilliant.”

MAN DOWN

Even when Surrey lost bowlers to injury mid-match, most notably in the early season home victories over Hampshire and Somerset, the rest of the attack shouldered the extra load.

Bowling coach Azhar Mahmood said: “Even when we’ve been a bowler short, the way the rest of the guys responded was magnificent. When I came in there was an English mentality of wanting to swing the ball. But we talked about creating doubt in the batters’ minds just by hitting the right length – to keep running in and keep hitting the pitch hard.”

SPIN, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

Neither of Surrey’s two specialist spinners – Amar Virdi and Dan Moriarty – were needed until after clinching the title. Instead, Surrey turned to Jacks and Cameron Steel, who chipped when called upon or when conditions dictated, which is as much a reflection of when championship matches are played these days – at the bookends of the season.

Instead the South Londoners packed their lower order with bowlers who also offered with the bat. Stewart said: “Let’s not underplay what Will Jacks has done as the spinning all-rounder. Some of it has been down to surfaces and when we play, but it also speaks volumes of the quality of our seam attack that we haven’t needed what you might call a front-line spinner.”

THE SCHEDULE

A 10-team Division One playing 14 championship matches means not everyone plays everyone else twice. Surrey could not have hoped for a kinder schedule with, as it turned out, just one clash against Hampshire, Lancashire and Essex, who finished second, third and fourth respectively.

HOME ADVANTAGE

Surrey won just four out of 14 tosses, only one of them at the Oval. But it didn’t stop the South Londoners taking 134 out of a potential 140 wickets in SE11 this summer, at an average of 26.20 – proving that it’s still possible to force victories over four days if you’re equipped with an attack that knows how to operate on decent surfaces. Only Kent managed to leave the Oval with a draw. Surrey’s batters filled their boots at home, scoring 3,525 championship runs at an average of 42.98.

FINANCIAL CLOUT

Surrey are viewed as the moneybags of county cricket, but due to the salary cap that only gets you so far in terms of putting a squad together, even with the centrally-contracted England players being treated as off the payroll. What it does mean, though, is their age-group and academy set-up doesn’t have to worry about existing hand to mouth.

PRODUCTION LINE

Ben Geddes, 21, and Tom Lawes, 19, broke into the championship side for the first time this summer. Lawes went on to top Surrey’s bowling averages. In the next few years, look out for Sheridon Gumbs, 18, and slow left-armer Yousef Majid, 19.

THE BACKROOM

Let’s not forget that the year started with head coach Vikram Solanki leaving for the IPL and his assistant Richard Johnson returning to Middlesex. Surrey acted swiftly by bringing in Azhar Mahmood and Jim Troughton as bowling and batting coach.
Batty was handed the position of head coach on an interim basis and now looks a shoe-in to be handed the reins permanently.

Stewart said: “Gareth has done a wonderful job. His work ethic, the way he’s looked to improve people and his work capacity is second to none. If there is such a thing as a perfect live interview he has given it.”

Batty added: “This group could be together for a sustained period of time, even in terms of outliving my tenure. All of them have shown they want and can handle pressure. They could be very special.”