Rory Burns’ Surrey kickstart their quest to create more history this week at Chelmsford, aiming to collect a fourth County Championship titles on the bounce – a peak last scaled during the golden era of Stuart Sturridge’s Surrey in the 1950s.
After a lengthy and industrious winter, and a smooth pre-season in the March sunshine, there is a real buzz in the squad to get the new season rolling. “I would be very worried if we’re not excited this time of year because of the energy brought to the room, whether it be a senior player or a youngster,” says Head Coach Gareth Batty, speaking to talkSPORT. “It is what Surrey’s about, circling the wagons and looking after our own and trying to move forward on what will be our next exciting journey.”
With a historic three-peat secured last season, the duo of Burns and Batty is in no mood to sit on their laurels. “The drive comes from each individual player and member of staff to keep moving forward. I’ve seen nothing other than actually trying to get more,” explains Batty during Surrey’s 2025 media day.
The hunger to improve and hunt down new silverware is as fresh as ever in this Surrey squad that has lifted the County Championship trophy four times since 2018. “The fact that we’ve got guys from my end of the spectrum, who are still trying to get better, to improve, it tells you what you need to know about the desire of what we are trying to do. And that rubs off on the younger guys that are coming in, just starting their journey as professional cricketers,” Burns offers an insight into the deep desire within the team to extend their legacy. “We want to be very successful, and we have been over a period, and that’s what we want to keep doing.”
Talking not only as the captain but also as a key batter in the side, Burns – who was Surrey’s leading run-scorer last season with 1073 runs – expands on his personal aspirations and how he has adapted his game in recent times, “My ambition is to get better as a cricketer and how I think is best for me, what’s best for the Club, how we win championships here, and how we win games of cricket for Surrey.
“If you look at my technique, my development, and how I’m still getting better at age 34, I’m pretty happy with where I’m at, to be honest,” the left-hander adds.
Raising the standards and constantly pushing to level up as a cricketer is a driving factor for players across the board, shares Batty. “Our duty is to evolve every single player on our squad. We want all the boys to be as good as they can be,” adds the Head Coach.
Jamie Smith – who started 2024 in sublime fashion, notching up 677 County Championship runs, including two terrific centuries, at an average of over 56 – has turned over a new leaf since last summer, becoming a mainstay in the national side. The 24-year-old says he “can’t wait to get back out there” pulling on the Three Feathers once again and building on his success from last year.
Elaborating on the importance of having clear roles in a batting order, Smith says, “At Surrey, one thing that I’ve felt has really pushed my game in the last couple of years is having a defined role, that being batting at four in the red-ball side. The environment around here really has allowed me to thrive and it’s exciting to be playing in this team again.”
Surrey start their 2025 campaign against rivals Essex at Chelmsford before returning home to take on Hampshire at the Kia Oval, the Three Feathers’ south-London stronghold where they have been defeated only once since August 2020.
Batting away any notion of nostalgia though, Burns and his Surrey ‘don’t want to be looking back yet’. All attention is firmly on the morning of the 4th of April. Or as Batty puts it, “This is the most exciting season because it is the one in front of us. All the rest are in the rearview mirror.”
