Barbadian fast bowler Kemar Roach has etched his name into County Championship immortality as Surrey Cricket Club won a third straight County Championship title following Somerset’s defeat by Lancashire.
Somerset needed to win at Old Trafford to keep their hopes of a first-ever county title alive heading into the last round of games, but they suffered a 168-run defeat on the final morning. Meanwhile, County champions for the 23rd time overall, Surrey, beat Durham by 10 wickets on Thursday.
The 36-year-old seam bowler took 20 wickets this season, along with 26 wickets at an average of 26.26 in his eight first-class matches last season. In the 2022 season, he took 25 wickets in seven matches at an average of 26.24 per wicket.
Lifting the trophy in 2022, 2023, and 2024 means this group of Surrey players has become the first team since Yorkshire, 56 years ago, to win three titles in succession. Surrey won seven in a row from 1952 to 1958 and had also won the very first three county titles, as well as five of the first six, in the 1890s. However, they are still 10 titles short of Yorkshire, who have won 33 in total.
Surrey head coach Gareth Barry told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra that everyone was needed to achieve something of this magnitude. “It’s a whole squad, a group of staff coming together and putting in a heck of a lot of work over a long period of time,” he said. “To do it three times in a row is very satisfying. We shall enjoy today and then start the hard work tomorrow to do it all again.”
The retired off-spinner who played nine Test matches for England said, “Every time you get over the line, it’s the hardest one because other teams are trying to close the gap, trying to improve their squads and players. I feel like we are still keeping some distance, in a healthy, confident way, not in an arrogant way, because we’re working incredibly hard to improve our performances year in and year out.”
This rare achievement was a fitting way to see off the Director of Cricket at the Oval, Alec Stewart. The former England captain held the position for 11 years but has stepped down to care for his wife, Lynn, who has been undergoing cancer treatment. (JC)
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