The Surrey bandwagon steamrollers on crushing all in its path and all in a week which has seen the greatest honour in English cricket bestowed on not one but both of our exemplary leaders, writes DOMINIC BURGESS.
Alec Stewart's appointment as test captain, arguably the toughest job in domestic sport, and Adam Hollioake's selection as one day skipper are a proud time for the county. Not since Peter May in the 1950s has a Surrey player been full England captain.
Neither decision is surprising given Alec's unswerving loyalty and dedication to the cause as well as a prolonged rich vein of form and a level of fitness that leaves men 10 years his junior gasping with admiration. Adam has proved that with a shrewd and flexible cricketing brain he gets the best out of the resources available to him and their close relationship at the club should help the country in succeeding at what are tactically quite different games.
The Benson & Hedges preliminary rounds are finally over leaving Surrey with a 100 per cent record only matched by Middlesex and Yorkshire, both of whom played a game less. The home quarter final tie on May 27 will be against Lancashire and fans will be hoping for a contest as gripping as the win over Somerset last Friday.
Truly a game of two halves, the first part of the day saw Alec Stewart and Ben Hollioake put together a magnificent partnership only to see their good work undone by lacklustre batting at the end of the innings and a loose bowling display early on.
But Ian Salisbury bowled with menace and guile to wrest it back and the Hollioake brothers continued the good work, especially when Ben switched to the Pavilion End and tore the heart out of the innings. His all round performance earned him a Gold award that had much to do with the skippers' contributions.
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