With the 2021 domestic season now behind us, we will spend the next few weeks taking a look at what our players achieved and how they will reflect on their efforts this summer.
Across all three formats, 34 men represented the Club’s first XI at least once this summer. The LV= County Championship saw us finish in fifth place in Division Two of the conference format that was adopted for the 2021 season.
Although we were eliminated at the group stage of the Vitality Blast, we did reach the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup before defeat to eventual runners-up Durham.
Progressing alphabetically, this week is the second that will go through our men’s squad before we also cover the women’s team.
You can see the first round-up here.
You can see the second round-up here.
Ollie Pope
Matches: 17 (9 First-class, 3 List A, 5 T20s)
Runs: 1045
Now a key part of the England Test team, Pope played in the first seven LV= County Championship matches of the season before the international summer began and then returned intermittently for the remainder of the campaign.
His standout innings included the two highest individual scores of the season from Surrey batters; 274 in the final match of the year and 245 in the first Kia Oval fixture of 2021. He also had an impressive role in the Kia Oval London Derby alongside Jamie Overton, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and ending with 52 from 35 balls.
Nico Reifer
Matches: 10 (All List A)
Runs: 63
Elegant batter Reifer got the call for this year’s Royal London Cup, making his senior county debut at Scarborough in Surrey’s first match in the competition. He batted in the middle order throughout and while he didn’t convert into a major score, there were some beautiful shots and important cameos, as well as high energy fielding, as Surrey reached the final four.
Kemar Roach
Matches: 5 (All First-class)
Wickets: 22
One of the best seam bowlers operating around the world right now, Roach played five LV= County Championship matches before returning home due to international commitments. He made a big impression in that short stay, taking his 22 wickets at an average of 20.54.
His standout performance was his 10-wicket haul against Hampshire that included 8/40 in the second innings to seal the victory. One of the most exhilarating spells of fast bowling in recent Kia Oval history, Roach beat batters for pace as well as with late swing.
Just two weeks later and again at The Kia Oval, he took nine wickets in a draw with Middlesex.
Jason Roy
Matches: 4 (All T20s)
Runs: 139
A man with a seemingly endless list of commitments around the world as one of the game’s leading white-ball batters, Roy played four times for Surrey in 2021. In three of his four innings he made a big impression too, hitting 45, 30 and finally 64 as Surrey got off to an excellent start in the Vitality Blast with all international players available.
Jamie Smith
Matches: 35 (12 First-class, 10 List A, 13 T20s)
Runs: 1268
The Members’ Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Supporters Club Player of the Year clearly had a season to remember. At just 21 he scored more runs than any other batter for Surrey across the season, kept for much of the year in the absence of Ben Foakes and even captained the side that went to the semi-final stage of the Royal London Cup.
His 656 runs in the LV= County Championship, with a top score of 138, put him third in the list of Surrey batters in that format and added another 315 runs in List A cricket and 297 runs in T20 cricket all at impressive averages.
Cameron Steel
Matches: 7 (2 First-class, 5 List A)
Wickets: 11
Runs: 50
A late summer loan addition from Durham in order to bolster the squad for the Royal London Cup, Steel is now on a permanent deal with the Club.
A leg spinner who can bat anywhere in the top order, Steel’s impact this year came more with the ball than the bat. He started with four wickets in his first two List A games, making a key impact on fixtures with Leicestershire and Warwickshire.
Mark Stoneman
Matches: 19 (10 First-class, 9 List A)
Runs: 802
Now departed for Middlesex, opener Stoneman has played a pivotal role in Surrey’s fortunes over the last five seasons. This year, he scored 473 runs in 15 innings in the LV= County Championship and 329 runs in eight Royal London Cup innings, including 117 in his final game for the Club; the semi-final with Durham.
Jonny Tattersall
Matches: 1 (First-class)
Runs: 4
Catches: 5
Yorkshire wicketkeeper Tattersall arrived on an emergency loan just for the penultimate game of the season with Jamie Smith & Ben Foakes both unavailable due to injury. He enjoyed a strong performance behind the stumps, taking five catches including a lovely diving one to his left.
James Taylor
Matches: 2 (1 First-class, 1 List A)
Wickets: 3
Young seamer Taylor made his debut for the Club in 2020 and added another two appearances this year. The right armer took two wickets in the LV= County Championship meeting with Essex and a further one against Leicestershire in the Royal London Cup.
Reece Topley
Matches: 7 (All first-class)
Wickets: 21
Rotated for the early period of the season in order to protect his body, Topley was dangerous in all red-ball cricket this year. His best display came in the first match of the season, when he claimed 5/66 in the first innings against Gloucestershire. He took 4/56 against Middlesex and picked up wickets regularly in his other fixtures.
The left armer was away at The Hundred for the Royal London Cup and injured for the Vitality Blast.
Amar Virdi
Matches: 11 (All First-class)
Wickets: 28
The frontline spinner in red-ball cricket, Virdi was again a key part of Surrey’s LV= County Championship team. Getting through almost 300 overs in just 11 matches, Virdi’s stand out match figures were 7/142 and played a big role in the victories Surrey did achieve; especially the 47 run win over Gloucestershire.
