NEW YEAR 2010

SUPPORTERS' CLUB NEWS

ANNE-MARIE STANLEY
For many of us, the Oval will not be the same place following the loss of Anne-Marie Stanley, who died on March 8. Anne-Marie was a social member of Surrey and of the Supporters' Club. At lunchtime, she was a regular in the Pavilion Restaurant - so much so she didn't need to go to the inconvenience of booking a table in advance, not even for the five days of the Oval Test. Correspondingly, on away coach trips her first port of call upon arriving at the ground was the principal refectory, where she would secure a table that, for the benefit of her friends more than herself, afforded the best view of the cricket. Anne-Marie touched a number of lives with her kindness and words of wisdom, not just the lives of her dearest friends, with whom she used to sit during the Test at the Oval, in front of the pavilion. Anne-Marie will be remembered fondly by everyone who knew her, and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad and difficult time.

ABSENT FRIENDS
Sadly, we have to report the passing of two other former members of the Surrey CCC Supporters' Club. As some of you may have seen in the media, Stan Johnson died at the age of 72 in New Zealand in December. Stan's friends are now planning to scatter his ashes at his 12 favourite cricket grounds around the world, a list that, of course, includes the Oval. We also lost Peter Spiro, at the age of 79, in February. Our sincerest condolences go out to Stan and Peter's loved ones.

COACH TRIP: 3rd May
The Supporters' Club is looking to run a coach trip for Surrey's Clydesdale Bank 40 League visit to New Road on Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May, for the clash between the Worcestershire Royals and the Surrey Lions. We would like to remind members that in order for coaches to run, we do need in the region of 20-25 people to attend. So, if you are interested in going please contact Ann Atkins (telephone 020-8672-7919) at the earliest opportunity for more information on fares, leaving times etc.

CENTURY CLUB

The results of the final three Century Club draws of 2009 were as follows:

10th Draw
1st - £50 - Niven McVicar (No.111)
2nd - £15 - Michael Power (No.9)
3rd - £10 - Pete Molyneux (No.8)

11th Draw
1st - £50 - Hilarie Randall (No.34)
2nd - £15 - Gerry Brazier (No.82)
3rd - £10 - Rob Boney (No.77)

12th Draw
1st - £250 - Colin Patton (No.99)
2nd - £30 - Thomas Mackie (No.104)
3rd - £20 - Vic Faulkner (No.43).

Anyone wishing to become a Century Club member can do so by sending a cheque for £36.00 (made payable to the SCCCSC Century Club) along with their details to Sarah Atkins at The Cheviots, 236 Ashbourne Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 2DR.

TEAM, CLUB AND OTHER NEWS

SURREY SIGN RAO IFTIKHAR ANJUM AS COVER FOR CHAWLA
On March 9, Surrey CCC confirmed that Pakistan seam bowler Rao Iftikhar Anjum would be the county's early season overseas player; acting as cover for Piyush Chawla, until the Indian spinner's commitment to the 2010 IPL tournament is at an end. Iftikhar, 29, who has appeared regularly for Pakistan in one-day cricket in recent years, has a very impressive first-class bowling average of 23.87 runs per wicket. He will join up with Surrey at the start of the 2010 season for the first three LV County Championship matches. Surrey's Professional Cricket Manager, Chris Adams, said: "Signing someone with the experience and proven wicket-taking abilities of Rao Iftikhar will allow us to add a bit of quality to the squad and is very much in line with the signings that we have already made since the end of the 2009 season. I believe Rao is the type of bowler who will perform well in English conditions and with Pakistan touring later in the year he has a terrific opportunity to lay down a marker for selection. He can swing the ball, a very repeatable action and consistently bowls in the mid to high eighties."

ADAMS: SURREY STRUT HAS GONE
Speaking to Surrey TV (March 8), ahead of the return of the playing squad to the Brit Oval, Chris Adams outlined a few ground rules for every member of Surrey's playing squad. He said: "I want every player and every coach and everybody who has any influence over professional cricket to be able to answer some very simple questions. As a player, what does it mean to play for Surrey County Cricket Club? I want a definitive answer. I want it to be meaningful and full of passion and direction. Anybody who comes into the squad from outside needs to be very clear about what it means to actually be a Surrey player. There's a lot of perception outside about what it is - Surrey County Cricket Club - what the players are like. The word or phrase that you hear a lot is the 'Strut'. That's gone, that's finished now and what we've got now is a lot of players who are hugely ambitious and prepared to put in a lot of hours and a lot of hard work to improve their skills. Players who really do want to make a difference and make a change for the Club." Adams also revealed that the former Leicestershire and England all-rounder, Jeremy Snape would be joining the coaching staff for the remainder of the Oval outfit's pre-season programme.

BROWN CAPS REVERT TO LIONS
On February 12, Surrey CCC announced that its one-day and Twenty20 name would be reverting to the Surrey Lions from the start of the 2010 campaign. Chris Adams said: "I am hoping this will bring a bit of bite back to the team and give the players a positive identity which fits the direction I intend to take them. I'm sure Lions teams of previous years hold many fond memories for Surrey fans and I look forward to our new look side adding to them in years to come."

TREMLETT SIGNS THREE-YEAR DEAL WITH SURREY
On January 27, it was announced that Chris Tremlett had signed for Surrey on a three-year deal, after being given permission by Hampshire to leave the Rose Bowl. Tremlett, 28, played three Tests for England in 2007. Since then, however, he has been ravaged by injuries and has fallen off the selectors' radar. But Chris Adams said he felt Tremlett's best years were ahead of him. Adams stated: "In Chris Tremlett, Surrey have signed a bowler of Test Match ability who is just beginning to approach the prime of his career. His height, action and pace make him very well suited to bowling at the Brit Oval and I am looking forward to him developing partnerships with our existing pace attack. He is joining a very different and highly motivated Surrey side and I feel we have got somebody that has the right attributes to continue his England career." Tremlett added: "Coming to Surrey will open an exciting chapter in my career and I am very much looking forward to getting the opportunity to work alongside my new team mates to help return this great club back to the top of English cricket."

JORDAN ENJOYS PERFORMANCE SQUAD EXPERIENCE
Surrey all-rounder, Chris Jordan has said that his time with the England performance squad in South Africa was a valuable experience. The 21-year-old took part in net sessions with the Test squad ahead of their series against the Proteas. Jordan told BBC London 94.9: "It was a great experience. It's good to be around Test players. Seeing how they operate shows me where my game is and what I need to do to get to that level." Jordan, who was born in Barbados, but qualifies to play for England through his English grandmother, added: "It was really good fun. They made us feel welcome and part of the set up. We got the chance to sit down and chat with them and see what they're like as people as well. It was a matter of me observing how they operate and how they go about their day-to-day business. It was really good for me to see where I need to get to."

ARTHUR McINTYRE
As wicketkeeper, Arthur McIntyre, who passed away on December 26 aged 91, played a vital part in Surrey's seven successive championship triumphs from 1952 to 1958. At the time of his death he was the oldest surviving England Test cricketer. Peter May, who skippered McIntyre at Test as well as county level, once wrote: "Godfrey Evans could touch great heights of wicketkeeping, but day in, day out, Arthur was the most reliable wicketkeeper of the 1950s. He should have played many times for England. He kept superbly to Alec Bedser, Loader, Laker and Lock on difficult wickets, and made it look easy. He was never acrobatic. There was no need, as he was always in the correct position on his two feet." McIntyre succeeded Gerald Mobey as Surrey's first choice keeper in 1947, though not before making a maiden first-class hundred, which came against Kent in July 1946. McIntyre continued to play regularly for the Oval outfit until 1958 (when he was one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year) and occasionally thereafter. He maintained his association with Surrey for a further 20 years as coach, finally retiring in 1978. Sir Alec Bedser, 51 days McIntyre's junior, succeeds him as the oldest living England Test cricketer.

HAMILTON-BROWN: CAPTAINCY THE DREAM OF A LIFETIME
On Christmas Eve, Surrey announced that they had signed Rory Hamilton-Brown as captain on a three-year contract. The 22-year-old all-rounder learned his cricket at the Surrey Academy before spending the last two seasons at Sussex. He told Surrey's website: "It's no exaggeration to say that returning to Surrey as captain is the dream of a lifetime for me personally as well as a massive honour and a huge responsibility. I will make sure I fulfil the confidence that Surrey and specifically Chris Adams have shown in me and I am determined to help bring the club success in the future." Hamilton-Brown has played just eight first-class matches, averaging 39.36 with the bat and taking six wickets with his off-spin. He has captained England at age-group level and has spent the past month in South Africa as a member of the ECB Performance Squad. The move to the Brit Oval came after Sussex agreed to release him from his contract. He added: "It has taken a considerable amount of soul-searching to reach this decision and I'd like to place on record my sincere thanks to Sussex for the fantastic support they have given me and their understanding of my final decision. I leave the club with great memories and the club, the players and the coaches have played a major part in my development as a player." Surrey's cricket manager, Chris Adams, who captained Hamilton-Brown in 2008, believes the signing could prove "a defining moment" for the Oval outfit. Adams said: "To me, captains have to have certain attributes such as charisma, a galvanising spirit, intelligent and tactical brains and the ability to inspire people to follow them - Rory Hamilton-Brown has these in abundance. When I flew to South Africa to meet him I was sure that the addition of Rory to our squad will give us stability, unity and strong leadership for many years to come and enable us - for the first time in two years - to provide consistent leadership on the field of the play. I am confident that the return of Rory Hamilton-Brown to Surrey at the start of a new decade will come to be seen as a defining moment in the turnaround of this club."

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