Chris Tremlett: Balanced Surrey look set for big things after first County Championship title in 16 years
Surrey sealing the County Championship with victory at Worcestershire last week was the culmination of a great year, but their success has been building for some time.
There’s been a lot of pressure, because such a big county going 16 years without winning the Division One title is not good enough.
At times they’ve been guilty of buying in too many players, rather than backing their own talent.
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But if you haven’t got the talent there it’s hard to build a side. In Sam Curran, Ryan Patel, Ollie Pope and Amar Virdi they’ve had a promising batch come through at the same time.
They’ve been able to compliment the runs of Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman, Rikki Clarke’s all-round impact and Morne Morkel’s match-winning spells.
It’s all come together for the right balance to be found between promoting youth, recruiting well and valuing experience. No other side has got close to them.
Surrey have found a balance between youth and experience (Source: Getty)
They got off to a good start and have carried that momentum to win nine Division One matches in a row and seal the victory with two to spare going into the current game with Somerset, which is an outstanding achievement.
When I was playing for Surrey we often struggled to begin the season well, but they seem to have cracked it now.
In the past the home pitch has been Surrey’s enemy. The Oval has traditionally been a batsman’s paradise, which has resulted in lots of draws. Surrey drew 10 of their 14 matches in 2017.
They’ve relied on people like Gareth Batty to bowl sides out, but they often struggled to do so. This season they’ve had a more diverse attack and have managed to eke out 20 wickets and turn those draws into victories.
Surrey have found a way to take 20 wickets at home – something they struggled with last season (Source: Getty)
The consistent runs of Burns in particular at the top of the order have been turned into scoreboard pressure by Morkel and Clarke, who have been exceptional with the ball.
Surrey have obviously got a talented young group at the moment, but they need to be led in the right direction – that’s where I think academy director Gareth Townsend deserves some credit.
The Curran brothers, Patel, Pope and Virdi are all a similar age and have come up through the age groups together. When I developed at Hampshire I was playing with friends of the same age and it creates a great atmosphere.
They’ve been promoted at the right time and are mentored by coaches and senior players. Each of them has already chipped in with big performances, which has helped build confidence.
Alec Stewart brings the knowledge and experience to Surrey's staff (Source: Getty)
Surrey have previously chopped and changed with management after their golden era of six trophies and three titles between 1999 and 2003. Graham Ford got the ball rolling following Chris Adams’ stint and helped players like Burns work out their game.
Current head coach Michael Di Venuto has been able to come in and build on solid foundations. His straight-talking attitude has combined well with director of cricket Alec Stewart’s knowledge and good recruitment and the expertise of assistant coach Vikram Solanki and bowling consultant Ryan Sidebottom.
All the factors appear to be in place. The task now will be to sustain their success. We’ve seen with Yorkshire before that winning presents another challenge when the better players go away on international duty.
They will hope the County Championship title can be the start of another period of dominance. Once again expectations will be high.