NEW YEAR 2012

SUPPORTERS' CLUB NEWS

SUPPORTERS' CLUB PLAYER AWARDS 2011 - ROLL OF HONOUR
The result of the voting for last season's Surrey CCC Supporters' Club awards was as follows:

PLAYER OF THE SEASON
47% - Tim Linley
27% - Zander de Bruyn
12% - Rory Hamilton-Brown
6% - Steven Davies
6% - Tom Maynard
2% - Jason Roy

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
64% - Tim Linley
8% - Jade Dernbach
6% - Rory Hamilton-Brown
6% - Matthew Spriegel
4% - Steven Davies
4% - Stuart Meaker
4% - Jason Roy
2% - Chris Jordan
2% - Tom Maynard

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON
46% - Jason Roy
22% - Tom Maynard
16% - Zafar Ansari
6% - Rory Hamilton-Brown
2% - Jade Dernbach
2% - George Edwards
2% - Tim Linley
2% - Stuart Meaker
2% - Dominic Sibley

LARGE RUM MOMENT
26% - Promotion to Division One / Stuart Meaker's catch to dismiss Mark Footit, for Surrey to gain promotion in the championship
14% - Winning the CB40 / Matthew Spriegel hitting the winning runs in CB40 final at Lord's
9% - Jason Roy's run out, from the boundary, of Dimitri Mascarenhas in T20 game against Hampshire at the Oval
9% - Ramps's dismissal, for obstructing the field, at Cheltenham
4% - Mark Ramprakash's hundred against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham
4% - Matt Dunn taking five wickets as a sub on his championship debut
4% - The last day at Northampton, where the win turned out to be so vital
4% - Tom Maynard's 141 against Middlesex at Guildford
2% - Irving Harris not renewing his Surrey membership
2% - Jason Roy's magnificent catch in the T20 match against Sussex at Whitgift
2% - Jon Lewis ensuring that Northants were bowled out for under 350 in the final championship game of the season
2% - Pragyan Ojha's 6 for 8 in the second innings at Northampton
2% - Rory Hamilton-Brown's batting, for victory, on day three at Grace Road (in face of dire weather expected for day four)
2% - Rory Hamilton-Brown's brave, yet inspired decision to bring Zafar Ansari on to bowl when Rob Key looked like he was going to snatch victory for Kent at the Oval in the championship
2% - Surrey winning their fourth match in a row to gain promotion in the championship
2% - Surrey's disaster against Kent at Canterbury
2% - The moment Chris Adams thought: "I had better not leave Tim Linley out of the team!"
2% - The time I awoke from a dream and discovered the Surrey website was showing 2nd XI scores etc., and was not temporarily unavailable!
2% - The win at Derby, which launched our championship season
2% - When a Surrey fielder threw the ball and it hit the helmet for five penalty runs, in the CB40 game against Durham
2% - Zafar Ansari's six over mid-wicket on his T20 debut.

OVAL WORLD FANTASY LEAGUE 2011
For the fantasists out there, a table showing how things ended up in last year's Oval World Fantasy Cricket League can be found below. The winner, David Barker, receives a free Surrey CCC county membership; the runner-up, Rob Lewis, gets £100 worth of theatre tokens; and third placed Ann Millington-Jones receives a cricket book of her choice. As has become customary Brian Cowley has worked out the optimum squad, in terms of fantasy points accrued: Batsmen: Rikki Clarke (War), Darren Stevens (Ken), Zander de Bruyn (Sur) and James Taylor (Lei). Bowlers: David Masters (Ess), Tim Murtagh (Mid), Jon Lewis (Glo), Tim Linley (Sur) and Monty Panesar (Sus). Keeper: Johnny Bairstow (Yor). Overseas: Northamptonshire (Chaminda Vaas). Along with two non-scoring makeweights, each at £1,000, the team would have cost £20,000 and amassed 826 points – 92 more than last year's "optimum" squad.

MEMBERSHIP 2012
The committee of the Surrey CCC Supporters' Club has decided to keep the same membership fees as applied in 2011 – so that's £6.00 for full members, £4.00 for seniors and £1.00 a year for junior members. A renewal form can be accessed HERE.

SURREY CCC MEMBERS' EVENTS 2012
Friday, 9th March: Pre-season lunch and meet the players. Starts: Noon. £15 per ticket.
Thursday, 5th April: New member welcome event. Starts: 6.00pm. Free to new SCCC members.
Thursday, 19th April: Quiz night. £5 per ticket.
Thursday, 26th April: Meet the players. Drinks and canapes. £10 per ticket.
Wednesday, 16th May: Members forum. Free to SCCC members.
18th-19th May: Real ale festival in association with CAMRA. Free to SCCC members.
Tickets can be purchased by telephoning 0844-375-1845.

CRICKET SUPPORTERS' ASSOCIATION
The CSA's long-term aim is to gain a seat on the ECB board and ensure that supporters' views are represented in the future. In the meantime, though, it would be hugely valuable if you could fill in this survey: www.survey.bris.ac.uk/coventry/e/ You will notice that it is not perfect. But the ECB have expressed what we believe is genuine interest in seeing the results and it does represent an opportunity to show them what supporters think.

SURREY COUNTY CRICKET DINING CLUB 2012
Friday 27th April v Durham
Friday 25th May v Warwickshire
Wednesday 13th June v Essex (T20)
Friday 6th July v Middlesex (T20)
Thursday 12th July - Marquee at the Guildford Festival
Friday 17th. August v Middlesex
Thursday 6th September v Nottinghamshire
Most of the above events will take place in the John Major Room (OCS Stand, Level 2) at the Kia Oval, starting at 12.15pm for 1.00pm sit down. To book your place, contact Les Brewin on 01202-296642 or 07974-282644 or, by email, at les.brewin@hotmail.co.uk or at bookings@surreydiningclub.com

CENTURY CLUB

The results of the last six Century Club draws of 2011 were as follows:

7th Draw
1st - £40 - Elliott Hurst (No.24)
2nd - £12 - Arnold Long (No.78)
3rd - £8 - Arnold Long (No.40)

8th Draw
1st - £40 - Frank Smith (No.47)
2nd - £12 - Adrian Lofts (No.41)
3rd - £8 - Leslie Young (No.18)

9th Draw
1st - £200 - Sarah Atkins (No.39)
2nd - £25 - Kim World (No.48)
3rd - £15 - Pete Molyneux (No.8)

10th Draw
1st - £40 - Arnold Long (No.78)
2nd - £12 - Graham Benson (No.91)
3rd - £8 - David Woolf (No.90)

11th Draw
1st - £40 - Tony Packwood (No.56)
2nd - £12 - Rod Burridge (No.11)
3rd - £8 - Barrie Hogan (No.118)

12th Draw
1st - £200 - Mick Cunnew (No.76)
2nd - £25 - Grahame Cove (No.107)
3rd - £15 - Gerry McShane (No.5).

New members to the Century Club are always welcome. For anyone wanting to join, it costs just £9 to be entered into three draws; one of which will have a first prize of £250. Simply send a cheque (made payable to 'Surrey CCCSC Century Club') along with your name and address to Sarah Atkins at The Cheviots, 236 Ashbourne Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 2DR.

TEAM, CLUB AND OTHER NEWS

PCA CHIEF: PLAYERS MUST POLICE THEMSELVES
Cricketers must keep each other honest if they want to avoid the same fate as Mervyn Westfield, according to players' chief Angus Porter. Former Essex seamer Westfield was jailed for four months on February 17, after admitting to spot-fixing. Professional Cricketers' Association boss Porter believes a strong dressing-room commitment to playing the right way is vital to weed out corruption. He said: "If we establish a culture where it has to be played straight, and we will demonstrate this to everyone who joins our team in everything that we do, I think that's our best defence. We saw this demonstrated at Essex, that a more junior player went to the senior players. The senior players got their heads together, worked out what to do and did the right thing." Following the Westfield court case, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it will cooperate fully with any England and Wales Cricket Board investigation into former Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria. PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi said: "The PCB will cooperate totally with the ECB if it holds an inquiry into this matter. It is a serious matter for us and we will now be examining the judgement and evidence placed before the court during the (Westfield) trial."

KEVIN PIETERSEN'S IPL FRANCHISE SEEKING COUNTY ALLIANCE
On February 16, the Daily Telegraph revealed that Kevin Pietersen's new Indian Premier League franchise, the Delhi Daredevils, are in discussions with a number of English counties about forming a partnership. When the Surrey and England batsman officially launched the Daredevils new kit in Dubai, his first public appearance for the club since his $2m transfer in January, Hemant Dua, the head of marketing and commercial for GMR group, the parent company of Delhi Daredevils, said: "We are looking at exchange programmes where cricket and marketing can benefit. KP brings in the extra charm to the team. He is a stylish player and has an aura around him and that appeals to us. The idea is to reach out to different target audiences. Even in India he is a big name but absolutely he can help promote name in England. There is a large fan base that watches IPL outside India and getting in touch with those is the aim." Pietersen will join the IPL after England's tour of Sri Lanka on April 7 and will return home on May 5 to prepare for the home Test series against the West Indies.

TREMLETT UNDERGOES BACK SURGERY
Chris Tremlett underwent back surgery in London on February 9. The Surrey and England fast bowler was forced to fly home from England's tour of the UAE, where they met Pakistan in three Tests, four ODIs and three T20 internationals. Tremlett, 30, will undertake a rehabilitation programme at Surrey, in conjunction with the England medical staff, and a date for his return will be agreed. Tremlett posted on Twitter that he hoped to be playing again by the end of April. Having made his comeback in Dubai after a five-month absence, Tremlett looked out of sorts, taking 0-53 before being ruled out of the remainder of the series, as well as England's tour of Sri Lanka. With England's bowling options very deep, many fear this latest problem could spell the end of Tremlett's international career, in which he has taken 49 wickets at 26.75 in 11 Tests, including 17 in the victorious Ashes series last winter.

NANNES RETURNS FOR THE T20
Surrey CCC announced on January 26 that Australian left-arm seamer Dirk Nannes will return to the Kia Oval this summer for the Lions' Friends Life Twenty20 campaign, in which he will play alongside Surrey's other overseas signing Murali Kartik. In last year's competition Nannes, 35, took 19 wickets at an average of 20.05, including career best T20 figures of 5-40 against Middlesex at Lord's. The Lions' Team Director, Chris Adams said: "As we saw last season in the shortest form of the game, Dirk is still one of the most consistently dangerous and economical bowlers on the world scene. He did a fantastic job for us and I can speak for the whole club when I say we are delighted to welcome him back for another spell."

ECB OFFER AMNESTY IN THE WAKE OF THE WESTFIELD SPOT-FIXING CASE
On January 13, the England and Wales Cricket Board offered an amnesty to players who report past match-fixing approaches. It came after the former Essex cricketer Mervyn Westfield admitted to accepting £6,000 to bowl in a way that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of a match against Durham in September 2009; although, in fact, only ten were chalked up. Failure to report an approach related to corrupt activities is an offence in itself under ECB regulations. But the governing body has established a reporting window, until April 30, in which players can report any past approaches without facing sanctions for failing to do so. Chris Watts, information manager to the ECB's Anti-Corruption Commission for Education, Standards and Security (ACCESS), said: "Information is critical in addressing the threat posed by corruption in sport. The decision of the board to provide a window for retrospective reporting of alleged approaches will greatly assist the ACCESS unit in compiling a more complete picture of the source and focus of approaches which may have taken place in the past. Individuals may not have thought these approaches were worthy of reporting at the time and, prior to the decision of the board, may have been concerned that the fact that they did not report such activity may have put them at risk of disciplinary action. I am working closely with the PCA (Professional Cricketers Association) to provide players and officials with this opportunity to work with our ACCESS unit to ensure that we work together to address the threat created by corruption in sport."

WORLD CRICKET COMMITTEE WANT FIXERS TO BE HIT HARD
On January 10, the MCC World Cricket Committee submitted a number of recommendations to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) on how to deal with the threat to the game's integrity posed by spot-fixing. Led by the MCC's Anti-Corruption Working Party, chaired by the former captain of Australia, Steve Waugh, the committee proposed:

• Lifetime bans for any captain, vice-captain or coach found guilty of corruption.
• Consider the removal of minimum sentences in the ICC's anti-corruption code.
• Education materials and punishments at international level should be mirrored at domestic level. These materials should be enhanced, multi-lingual and available in more player-friendly formats.
• The ACSU should work closely with players to establish trust and be transparent with its findings to show the cricketing world that its efforts to prevent corruption are working. The committee appreciates that transparency has to be balanced by the requirements of confidentiality.
• Young but established players, both international and domestic, and their captains, should be promoted as ambassadors of the Spirit of Cricket and role models who pledge to educate and protect other young players.
• Where not already in place, specific anti-corruption clauses should be included in players', officials', coaches' and administrators' contracts.
• The committee is keeping an open mind on the use of polygraphs, but for now does not recommend that their use be encouraged except as a possible route by which suspected players might attempt to exonerate themselves.
• 'Mystery shopper' operations should be considered, preferably directed at somebody already suspected.
• Relevant authorities to explore any unexplained wealth of suspected players and each governing body should hold a gift register for its players.
• The ACSU to have an increased capacity and budget to be able to do its job thoroughly, including the analysis of all domestic and international televised matches.

PIETERSEN TO REMAIN AT SURREY
Shortly before Christmas it was announced that Kevin Pietersen had agreed a rolling deal with Surrey, which will keep him at the Club until the end of his ECB central contact. Pietersen joined the Oval outfit ahead of the 2011 season, following a brief loan spell towards the end of the 2010 campaign, when he quit Hampshire and was then left out of the England one-day team. The new arrangement suggests he is unlikely to linger in the domestic game once his England days are over. Pietersen made four appearances for Surrey - two first-class and two Twenty20 - last season between his England commitments. He captained Surrey against Cambridge MCCU, which was his comeback match after the hernia that ended his participation in the 2011 World Cup. Pietersen said: "Surrey is a fantastic club and I have been really impressed with the environment and work ethic in place. Their recent success is well deserved and I look forward to working with them in 2012."

DUNN AND ANSARI SIGN NEW DEALS
On December 8, Surrey CCC announced that 19-year-old duo, Zafar Ansari and Matthew Dunn had both signed new contracts. Ansari, who is in the middle of his second year at Cambridge University, signed a two-year extension and is under contract until the end of 2014. Fast bowler Dunn is now on board until the end of 2013. Speaking to Surrey TV, Matthew Dunn said: "It's a great privilege to be playing cricket as my career and I was delighted to be able to break into the first-team last season. I am now working hard on my fitness and am looking forward to hitting the pre-season hard with Surrey."

SIBLEY ADDED TO THE PG ACADEMY
Ashtead CC batsman Dominic Sibley has been added to Surrey's Pemberton Greenish Academy and Emerging Players Programme. Six of the players from last year's intake will spend a further twelve months on the scheme. Alongside the PG Academy, 15 players from U16 to U18 level will be taking part in the Surrey Emerging Players Programme - the rung beneath the Academy on the player development pyramid. The seven players on this year's PG Academy programme are: Michael Burgess (Cheam), Adam Dyson (Leatherhead), Dominc Sibley (Ashtead), Harry Stephens (Guildford), Jack Winslade (Weybridge), Aman Shinwari and Michael Cousens. The 15 players on the EPP are: Harry Allen (U16, Sutton), Darshan Chohan (U16, Banstead), Gregory Dann (U16, Banstead), Chris Leith (U16, Wimbledon), Jack Lloyd (U16, Reigate Priory), Bhavesh Pankhania (U16, Richmond), Harshil Patel (U17, Cranleigh), Will Rollings (U17, Cranleigh), Jack Scriven (U17, Cranleigh), James Smith (U16, Guildford), Cameron Spence (U17, Guildford), Matthew Sttidard (U16, Old Whitgiftians), Nathan Thorpe (U16, Farnham), Andrew Westphal (U18, East Molesey), Richard O'Grady (U17).

SURREY SWOOP FOR KARTIK
On December 1, Surrey CCC announced the signing of Indian left-arm spinner Murali Kartik. Kartik, 35, who has enjoyed several spells in county cricket, will be available to play for Surrey in all three competitions this summer. Kartik said: "I am very happy to be signing for Surrey for next season. Surrey are one of the biggest domestic sides in the world game and I hugely look forward to playing my cricket at an iconic ground like The Oval." Surrey's team director, Chris Adams, said Kartik would add another dimension. He said: "As shown with the signing of Pragyan Ojha for the final part of the 2011 season, a 'mystery' spinner can often make a major difference to the outcome of a campaign. Having someone of Kartik's quality on board for the entirety of next season will be a great boost."

TOM MAYNARD AGREES EXTENSION
Such is the impression Tom Maynard made last year, after joining Surrey from Glamorgan, he has been offered and has accepted a one-year extension. The new deal means the 22-year-old batsman is under the contract until the end of the 2014 season. Speaking after signing the deal, Maynard said: "I am really pleased to sign an extension to my contract. I have enjoyed my first season at the club and I feel I made some valuable contributions throughout the season. To be part of a winning team is something every cricketer strives for and I am positive we will continue to build on our achievements in 2012." Chris Adams, Surrey's Team Director, added: "Tom has been superb for us throughout the season, showing impressive maturity and fantastic ability in all forms of the game. His promotion to the England Performance squad fully reflects that and I am delighted he has committed the next three years to Surrey."

STUDENT CRICKETERS AWARDED FIRST-CLASS STATUS
On November 28, the MCC announced that all six MCC Universities (MCCUs) have been awarded first-class status, starting in 2012. Each of the MCCUs are due to play three 3-day fixtures against full county sides, with first-class status conferred on the first two matches. It will be the first time that Cardiff MCCU and Leeds-Bradford MCCU have been granted first-class status since the universities scheme began in 2001.

HOMECOMING AS BROWN IS MADE SECOND TEAM COACH
Alistair Brown has confirmed his return to his native Surrey after being appointed as the county's new Second XI coach. Brown, 42, retired from cricket at the end of the 2011 season after finishing his playing career with a three-year stint at Nottinghamshire. Prior to that he had been a highly-popular member of the Surrey squad from 1988 to 2008, scoring 26,392 runs in all forms of the game, winning eight trophies and lending his name to the Members' Bar in the pavilion Long Room, which honours his world record one-day innings of 268 against Glamorgan in 2002. In his new role at Surrey, Brown - whose two-year deal was announced on November 17 - will join the coaching staff and lead the Second XI programme, working closely with Pemberton Greenish Academy Director Gareth Townsend and his staff to ensure that the best young players can make the step up from academy to professional level. Brown said: "I'm really looking forward to hitting the ground running and continuing the process of players coming through the Second XI and PG Academy to make an impact at first team level. When I left Surrey back in 2008 I always hoped I could return if the right opportunity arose. Fortunately it has and it's very good to be back at the Club I call home." Brown joins a restructured Surrey coaching staff. Chris Adams has been elevated to Team Director, leading a staff of Ian Salisbury, Martin Bicknell and Alec Stewart, alongside Brown and Townsend. Adams has also signed a further year's extension on his contract, tying him to Surrey until 2014. As part of the new structure, Salisbury has signed a new two-year deal and will be First Team Coach. There is also a new two-year deal for part-time bowling coach Bicknell. Stewart - a board level Executive Director of Surrey County Cricket Club - will continue in his role as a part-time coach and consultant to the squad, working across the professional set-up and the PG Academy with a particular focus on wicketkeeping and batting. The physiotherapy department - led by former England physio Dean Conway, with Alex Tysoe and Ashley Wright in support - is unaffected by the restructure and will continue as before. Adams said: "New contracts for Ian Salisbury and Martin Bicknell are due reward for the excellent contributions they have made to the recent success of the club and I am very happy that Alec Stewart will continue his work with the players on top of his new commitments on the board. With myself and these three individuals we have a very strong coaching unit at Surrey into which I am delighted to welcome Ali Brown. He has a glittering career behind him and a huge amount of experience and expertise he can pass onto both our squad and the players coming through our system who will soon be pushing for a first team spot themselves." Richard Gould, Surrey's chief executive, added: "The return of Ali Brown to Surrey is great news for both players and fans of the club. He is one of the most popular Surrey men of recent times and will play a key role in developing the backbone of talent within our system that we hope will one day wear the Surrey shirt with great pride and success."

HARINATH STAYS BUT KING LEAVES SURREY
On November 10, Surrey CCC announced that Arun Harinath had been handed a new one-year contract, but that off-spinner Simon King was being released. Harinath, who has been at the club since under-nine level, said: "I'm very happy to be staying with Surrey for another year. Having been with the club for such a long time I am determined to push my case for selection and will work hard to ensure I have the best possible chance of doing this at all times." King, also 24 and a graduate of Surrey's PG Academy, made just five senior appearances in total - the last of them in May against Cambridge MCCU. He said: "It's obviously very disappointing to be leaving Surrey, a club I have represented for over ten years, but it also opens up a number of fresh opportunities and new challenges for me. I would like to thank everyone that has worked with me at Surrey both in the youth team squads and professional set-up. During this time I have made a great many friends and will look back at my time with the club with great affection."

OJHA BOOSTED BY SURREY STINT
Pragyan Ojha pointed to his spell in county cricket with Surrey as a key factor behind his impressive return to India's Test team. The 25-year-old left-arm spinner took 20 wickets, at an average of 22.50 runs apiece, in last November's three-match Test series against the West Indies. Ojha said: "I spoke to seniors like Anil (Kumble), Harbhajan (Singh), Rahul (Dravid) and (VVS) Laxman when I was out of the team and they all advised me to go and play county cricket. When you play there, you are given a lot of responsibility and they expect you to win games for them. That helps you grow as a cricketer."

HOLLIOAKE: SPOT-FIXERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPARED JAIL
On November 6, in the wake of the custodial sentences handed out to three Pakistan Test cricketers - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - the former Surrey captain Adam Hollioake, blogging on his website adamhollioake.com.au wrote: "I am not sure that sending people to jail for cheating in a game of cricket is where we should be at as a society. For me jail should be reserved for the dangerous members of society - murderers, rapists, armed robbers, paedophiles, people who commit other violent crimes etc. I don't feel that match fixing fits into this bracket." Hollioake, who, himself, was targeted by an illegal bookmaker in 1997, added: "When I was approached I was mortified, in fact angry. I was angry that someone actually thought I would be interested in being involved in that type of behaviour. My thoughts then were that people should go to jail, and I wouldn't have listened to anyone else's opinion. Now I have been around for a couple more decades, seen a lot more and witnessed some of the proper crimes going on in our world, I realise that these things deserve more thought. All I ask is we think about the topic and engage our brains to come up with the best and fairest way of preventing this from blighting our great game."

LANCEFIELD AND JEWELL SIGN NEW DEALS
On October 27, Surrey announced that Tom Lancefield and Tom Jewell had signed new one-year deals with the Club. Lancefield gained significant first team experience during 2010, but a succession of knee injuries restricted the 21-year-old batsman to just one first-class appearance in 2011. He was quoted as saying: "I am delighted to be signing on for another year. 2011 was not the best for me with injuries playing a big part throughout the summer. However, now I have had the operation I am really looking forward to getting back to full fitness and really pushing hard next year to get back to first team level and show my true capabilities." Jewell added: "I am very happy to have signed on for another year with Surrey. Having been at the club for so long, I am keen to continue pressing my case for first-team selection in all forms. After such a fantastic end to our season this year, I very much look forward to being a part of Surrey moving forward in 2012 and beyond."

SURREY HERO LINLEY AGREES NEW TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
Tim Linley has signed a new two-year deal at Surrey - which was announced by the Club on October 20 - having proved himself one of the most underrated cricketers in the country in 2011. Linley, 29, was Surrey's leading bowler during their promotion-winning County Championship campaign, taking 73 wickets at an average of 18.34 runs apiece. Last summer only two bowlers in Division Two took more wickets than Linley - David Masters of Essex and Middlesex's Tim Murtagh. Having secured his Surrey future until the end of the 2013 season, Linley said: "I had a fantastic season this year and am very happy to commit my future to the club. Winning promotion was a superb achievement for us all and I very much look forward to testing myself against Division One batting line-ups next year. I would also like to thank Surrey fans and members for their support throughout the year. I know how much Surrey CCC means to them all and it's a great honour to be able to extend my career at this historic club." Chris Adams, the Surrey cricket manager, added: "Tim is one of the most popular players in the dressing room as well as with our fans. Everyone is delighted to see him signing up for another two years with the club."

UMPIRES SET TO BENEFIT FROM RETIREMENT DECISION
The ECB will abide by new government legislation which stipulates that 65 is no longer the mandatory retirement age. Hence umpires who have had to pack up upon becoming pensioners, some far from willingly, will be able to remain on the first-class list indefinitely as long as they can pass a fitness and eyesight test to be held each spring at Loughborough. They can even venture out of retirement. The ECB is supported by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) and the first-class umpires, whose chairman, Peter Willey, said he himself would like to carry on beyond 65. "To have the opportunity would be nice," he said. "I did have three summers remaining but would like to continue until I am 66, which will mean I have completed 50 years in the game. The fitness tests are not too bad, although I do not know how these can prove a person can stand in the middle for six days a week."

JORDAN AND SPRIEGEL EXTEND, BUT NO ROOM FOR SCHOFIELD
Chris Schofield is understood to have become the first Surrey player to fall victim to the salary cap when it was announced, on October 14, that all-rounders Chris Jordan and Matthew Spriegel had signed one-year contract extensions. Paying tribute to Schofield, Chris Adams said: "Chris made a significant contribution during his time at the club and was a vital member of our victorious CB40 campaign last season. I have really enjoyed working with him and he has been a very popular member of the dressing room. He can be very proud of his achievements at Surrey and we wish him the best for the rest of his career."

WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP LOSES OUT TO 50-OVER CHAMPIONS TROPHY
England must wait at least another four years to host the inaugural World Test Championship, which will be contested by the top-four ranked Test teams. The ICC has opted, instead, for a Champions Trophy in 2013. The much-maligned 50-over tournament, once known as the mini World Cup, has not been staged since 2009. The decision to defer the Test championship was influenced by ESPN Star Sports, which has the TV rights to global events until 2015. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, said: "Without the support and consent of the ICC's broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the members and the development of the game would be significant." Last year, the ECB allocated the World Test Championship semi-finals to the Kia Oval and Edgbaston, and the final to Lord's.

ROY PENS NEW TWO-YEAR DEAL
On October 6, Surrey announced that Jason Roy had signed a new two-year contract at the Oval. The big-hitting 21-year-old played a key role in the Lions' successful CB40 campaign, making two centuries and four fifties. Chris Adams said: "Jason played key innings in the 40-over competition and also in the Twenty20. He proved what a dynamic and powerful player he really is. His fielding, as well, particularly in front of home support, brought the best out in him. However, it was a learning year in the Championship. We stuck with him a bit. It was important, from my perspective, to get that year into Jason, so that he goes away and reflects. He'll learn and develop from those experiences. It could have been better, he knows that, and his ambition is one that will take him way beyond what he achieved in the Championship this year. He learns quickly in terms of developing his own game and understanding certain situations and, if he continues on that pace, he'll surpass his achievement of getting on the England Performance Programme, which he's thrilled about. It'll be a great experience for him."

HAMILTON-BROWN: OUR CB40 WIN IS JUST THE START
Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown believes his side's CB40 win over Somerset could be just the start of things to come. After the 24-year-old led the Oval outfit to their first trophy in eight years, he said that given the average age of the squad, there is no reason why the team shouldn't be capable of going on to achieve plenty more. He said: "This is just the start of what I think we can achieve. It lets the guys know what we're doing is right and if we keep putting in the hard work we've got a very successful future ahead of us." The victory over Somerset at Lord's capped a remarkable month for Surrey, whose season looked to be drifting away when they crashed out of the Twenty20 Cup, having squandered an excellent chance of making the quarter-finals. Hamilton-Brown said: "Obviously it was a really bitter pill to swallow going out of the Twenty20, which we thought we were strong at. That was tough, but it really focused our minds on the other two forms of the game. It's been a fantastic finish." Despite having sealed promotion just days before the final, Hamilton-Brown did not believe it gave his side a boost going into the finale at Lord's. "It was no help," he insisted. "This was a final, but there's no doubt that momentum played a part as we were used to winning close games. A lot of people said before the game: 'Having got promotion, does that take the pressure off?' It didn't, because we hadn't won a trophy and this great club's about trophies."

BATTY: WE'RE BACK WHERE WE BELONG
A day after being awarded his county cap, along with Steven Davies, Gareth Batty was celebrating championship promotion. Reacting to Surrey's innings victory over Derbyshire, the 33-year-old off-spinner said: "About 18 months ago, when I came back (from Worcestershire), the main aim was a personal one for me and for the club to get back where I believe it belonged. We're back in Division One and there's a lot of hard work to be done to make sure we stay there and win it. We've got a wonderful young team and I think the sky's the limit. We just have to keep working hard, keep our feet on the ground and I think we can go to some pretty amazing places. It's been emotional at times, but it's been that sort of a week. It's within your grasp and within your destiny as it were. But it's been due to every single person, from the players to the medical staff to the people in the kitchen, every person at this club has put Surrey back in Division One. The brand of cricket we have played in the last month is frightening for a seasoned campaigner like myself. Some of the stuff you see happening is wonderful. It's been a joy to get out of bed in the morning to be a part of it and watch it. I would pay money to watch our lads play cricket. Four wins on the bounce is a pretty special performance and you can see that some of the boys have taken real heart. Every little hurdle we've got to and jumped over, we've been that bit better next time and I think we've got a nucleus of players that will go on and play an awful lot for England and do some awfully good things for this club in the future. The next stage is to win on Saturday, then enjoy ourselves. But we get back three weeks after that and we've got some terribly hard work to do. You can see the lads have got the hunger. It's been an exhausting season and we've worked very hard. People call us the Strutters and all this sort of thing, but that's not the case anymore. We've totally changed. Chris Adams and Ian Salisbury are magnificent. They work us hard and they work us on the right things and you can see... some of the comments that people are saying about us are nice comments, which hasn't been the case for a while and I think you reap the rewards of hard work sometimes."

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