There was more to the Kia Oval’s end-of-term feel than perfect blues skies. Surrey have passed their unwanted Division Two examination with flying colours at the end of their second term, and toasted it with a day of harem-scarem cricket – 416 runs and 14 wickets – that saw everyone leave happy, as celebrations got underway with friends, families and fans. There was even a charity jumble sale for good measure.
There is a joy to this Surrey team and it is sheer greenness that has given them the appearance of a schoolboy side all summer long. The Curran brothers – one actually is a schoolboy – have caught the headlines, and remarkably took the first 14 Northamptonshire wickets of this match, but there’s youth beyond them. Jason Roy is the stylish tearaway talking to the girls and Zafar Ansari the bookish prefect who has the lot, while Rory Burns, Matt Dunn and Ben Foakes are all dashing youngsters with plenty ahead.
This, after the Division Two title was sealed, was the message of Gareth Batty, who, alongside Kumar Sangakkara, Gary Wilson as well as a number of experienced coaches, is admirably educating the kids: this is just the start. They are winning people over: certainly, cricket at Surrey now looks great fun and the murk and the muddles of the Chris Adams era – and all that came with the death of Tom Maynard – is long gone. Maynard’s memory remains ingrained, however: that jumble sale, Batty’s brainchild, hosted by fast bowler Stuart Meaker flogging Surrey players’ kit, was held in honour of the trust set up in Maynard’s memory. Promotion is indicative of a corner turned.
“Every single person in that room can be really proud of themselves,” Batty said, with hoards gathering around him. “For the next six months they can look at themselves in the mirror and say, ‘I did what I had to do last summer.’
“For a youngish group, we’ve started off in the right manner. The longevity is there – these guys can be here for a long period of time. We might need to get a few more trophy cabinets built in the coming years.”
Northamptonshire more than played their part in the end of term show. Tom Curran dismissed both the overnight batsmen, Ben Duckett second ball of the day – one after he’d brought up 1,000 runs for the season – and Alex Wakely without adding to his 93, either side of his brother Sam inviting Rob Keogh to slap straight to point. Wakely was Tom’s 76th wicket of the season, equal-best for Surrey since Waqar Younis managed 113 in 1991, and he was denied a 77th when three simple chances were missed off his bowling later in the day.
The first of those came when Burns and Roy – who signed a new three-year contract that morning – stood motionless as Adam Rossington edged his first ball between them at second and third slip on his way to his first century of the season, a magnificent 88-ball effort, including 18 fours: flashing cuts, hefty drives and strong flicks.
Rossington was joined by David Murphy, whose contract status remains unresolved amid the club’s financial uncertainty, but batted magnificently, growing into his innings and sending Tom Curran through midwicket, then down to fine leg for consecutive fours.
But Dunn took four for one in 10 balls to leave Murphy on 88 with just the injured No11, Rory Kleinveldt, and his runner for company. No bother: Murphy promptly dispatched Gareth Batty for four then six to cow and scampered two on the sweep to complete an emotional maiden First Class century.
With a target of 215 in 33 overs, the teachers left the classroom for the final lesson of term. Roy put on an exhibition as wickets fell around him, with eight sixes – over cow, over point, over long-off and outrageously over point once more in his wondrous 77 off 35 balls, which had the vocal mob in the Peter May Stand – who knew promotion was assured – daring to dream. It was not to be, with hands shaken shortly after Roy miscued Graeme White to Josh Cobb, running in from mid-off. A win, perhaps not, but so much to toast.
