Cricket

INTERVIEW

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22 April 2008

By Jon Surtees

With a mix of explosive youth and wizened experience, Surrey are hoping 2008 is the year they finally bring silverware back to the Brit Oval.

Coach Alan Butcher – who kicks off his weekly ‘Butcher’s Block’ column here – has had a busy off season, recruiting talent from all over the world to replace some former Surrey stars now plying their trade elsewhere.

Whilst the Brown Caps are still partly putting their trust in the promise of the youth, it is their vastly experienced top four of Jonathan Batty, Scott Newman, Mark Ramprakash and club captain Mark Butcher (60,260 first class runs between them) who they will rely on to provide the brunt of the runs.

However, with their aching limbs unlikely to the last all season, Alan Butcher has wisely invested in some top quality cover. The acquisition of Usman Afzaal from Northamptonshire has increased competition amongst the batsmen with Stewart Walters, James Benning, Alistair Brown and Richard Clinton all competing for any remaining spots.

With Rikki Clarke (Derbyshire), Azhar Mahmood (Kent) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex) all leaving the club in winter, Surrey could be a little short handed in the all rounder department. It remains to be seen if teenage starlet Chris Jordan is able to fulfil his promise with the bat as well as the ball, but if the opinion of former England opener Bill Athey – now head of cricket at Dulwich College – is anything to go by, he could well end up being a long term solution to the tricky number seven ‘bowler who can bat’ position that is craved by all modern coaches.

The other great all round prospect is Loughborough University captain Matthew Spriegel, who recently scored 48 for his university against the Brown Caps in a pre-season match. Spriegel is unlikely to feature a huge amount in 2008, but forceful performances for the second XI could see him get a few one day games later in the season.

With the ball Alan Butcher has invested wisely, swallowing his anti-Kolpak principles with the coveted signing of West Indian left arm seam bowler Pedro Collins, who is likely to take the new ball with returning Australian Matthew Nicholson.

The pacey Barbadian teenager Chris Jordan will continue his development, likely as an option at first change. He will be joined by Jimmy Ormond, if the veteran seamer’s body is up to the challenge of a full season. If not, there is no shortage of young replacements such as Jade Dernbach, Neil Saker and precocious England U19 international Stuart Meaker, named last year’s Surrey Academy player of the year.

With the Butcher’s love of playing two spinners, Murtaza Hussain, Chris Schofield and Saqlain Mushtaq (returning to The Brit Oval after a spell winning trophies at Sussex) should all be competing for a regular berth, particularly later in the summer when the traditionally batsman friendly Oval pitch will almost certainly begin to turn.

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