Adams relishing championship campaign

Team director Chris Adams will ensure Surrey are fully prepared to face the challenges of the LV= County Championship top flight this season.

Rory Hamilton-Brown’s exciting side produced numerous stirring performances in 2011 as they won promotion from Division Two and beat Somerset at Lord’s to secure the Clydesdale Bank 40 trophy.

Despite newly-promoted outfits often struggling in the top tier, Adams will organise his emerging troops more comprehensively than his fierce rivals to ensure they have the best possible chance of adding to their silverware cabinet.

Adams told ecb.co.uk: “The dream, if you like, is to win more trophies. That win last year at Lord’s is what the players play for. All the great bits that happen after a lot of hard work is why we are here.

“Looking at that division, I think any team can win that championship. I think Lancashire last year wouldn’t have been everyone’s favourite to win it.

“I recognise certain traits in that team having worked with the fella (Peter Moores) that is coaching them now and I understand why they went on to win it.

“I look around at the talent in Division One now and, if every coach prepares his squad effectively, then the talent is there to win.

Surrey director of cricket Chris Adams believes "a lot of hard work and commitment" is needed to bring further success to the Kia Oval

"A lot of hard work and commitment goes into that. Preparation is everything and that’s where I come in and once the squad are prepared, the players go into the arena and it’s over to them.

“That’s where you give the trust up to the players and leave it to them."

Surrey boosted their impressive bowling department in the close season with the capture of former England international Jon Lewis from Gloucestershire.

Adams believes the experienced seamer, who snared 65 first-class scalps last season, will have an impact both on and off the field.

“He has a lot of experience and is a leader in terms of with the ball," he said.

"We have got a lot of young, talented fast bowlers now; Jade Dernbach’s doing really well for England, Stuart Meaker, Chris (Tremlett) is now centrally contracted but we expect to see him at some stage this year.

“We have got a young lad called Matt Dunn, who has come through the Under-19s and was on the fast bowling programme this year, so we have started to build a squad of some young, talented fast bowlers.

“We brought Jon in, first and foremost on the field to get wickets for us, but also to pass on information and lead the pack. And already, even though we are only a few days in, he looks like an impressive character."

Tim Linley was an instrumental part of Surrey’s championship success last campaign, claiming 73 wickets, and Adams expects the hard-working seamer to form an excellent relationship with Lewis.

“We are very happy with what we have got and there is one guy that hasn't been mentioned yet and that’s Tim Linley, who got 70-odd wickets last year,” he added.

“He will forge a very good relationship with Jon Lewis; they are very similar. They are hard-working, good thinkers of the game that work things out for themselves and are prepared to go away and work on their own game.

“You never see the same performance twice from them two and are always looking to get better and improve their game. I’m looking forward to seeing them in action this year.”

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