Only 1 of Surrey’s top 7 wicket-takers in first-class cricket never played for England, but represented another country
Surrey County Cricket Club has long been a powerhouse in English domestic cricket and has produced some of the most talented bowlers in the history of the game.
The club seems to always produce excellence with the match-winning spells of some of their greatest wicket-takers an example of their consistent quality through the years.
The county has been blessed with skillful seamers who can work the ball both ways and get them off to fast starts as well as spinners who have bamboozled batters with their guile to the delight of The Oval crowd.
Each of these men have not only claimed large volumes of wickets, but they’ve delivered match-winning performances that have shaped Surrey’s dominance domestically in recent history.
So which bowling experts have taken the most victims with their ruthless bowling for Surrey?
Let’s take a closer look.
7. Rikki Clarke – 231 FC wickets for Surrey
An all-rounder whose bowling was often overshadowed by his impressive batting, Rikki Clarke was a key figure for Surrey over nearly two decades with the county.
Across 113 matches, he claimed 231 wickets for an average of 30.48 with best first class figures of 7/55 showing he was unplayable on his day.
But it was in 2018 when Clarke unleashed his most meaningful spell for the county where he dismantled Nottinghamshire’s middle order to set up an emphatic victory, taking 6 wickets for just 21 runs.
His first-class career spanned 19 years of which his lethal late swing remained his biggest weapon.
6. Ian Salisbury – 242 FC wickets for Surrey
A leg-spinner who played out an impressive 95 first-class matches for Surrey, Salisbury averaged 33.25 for the historic county.
His finest outing for the side came in 2007 where he took 12 wickets in a match against Worcestershire – proving that leg spin was still a force to be reckoned with in the county game.
With career-best figures of 8/60, it was easy to see why the national selectors rated him from such an early age with him one of England‘s youngest Test debutants at 22 years old in 1992.
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5. Stuart Meaker – 264 FC wickets for Surrey
Meaker was a simply ruthless bowler for Surrey and one of the fastest to play for the county in modern times with his raw pace terrorising batters.
When fired up, Meaker was very much unplayable, drawing comparisons to Dale Steyn with his fiery outswingers clocking over 90 mph – making him one of the fastest seamers of his generation.
He took his 264 first-class wickets at an average of every 30.46 deliveries with best figures of 8/52.
A memorable spell against Somerset in 2012 saw Meaker use his pure speed to decimate the responseless Somerset opposition as he claimed 6 wickets at the expense of just 39 runs.
4. Saqlain Mushtaq – 271 FC wickets for Surrey
One of the finest off-spinners of his era, Pakistan‘s Mushtaq gained notoriety at The Oval for his ‘doosra’ which batters simply had no answer for.
His quality was in his prolificness, it took him just 67 matches to take his 271 first-class matches at an average of 25.37 with best figures of 7/11 that are almost impossible to believe.
In the 2000 County Championship he came as close to being unplayable as one can when he took 19 wickets in a match against a crestfallen Nottinghamshire.
3. Jade Dernbach – 278 FC wickets for Surrey
A frequent feature in England’s white ball sides, Dernbach was also a very effective red-ball operator for Surrey, his county where he was a true three format star.
His best figures of 6/47 were a result of his knack for releasing devastating reverse swing late in the innings.
Dernbach was a key part of Surrey’s promotion winning season when he took 5/33 in a crucial match against Derbyshire to secure their return to the top – proving he was a key cog in Surrey’s downs as well as their ups. He went on to play international cricket for Italy, too.
2. Martin Bicknell – 291 FC wickets for Surrey
Bicknell was a seamer who embodied consistency and was one of the finest county bowlers of his time for Surrey.
His career-best figures of 9/47 and an average of 25.84 over 80 matches showcase the level at which he operated.
An iconic spell in 1999 of 7/53 against Yorkshire was pivotal in helping Surrey clinch the County Championship.
He played four test matches for England and interestingly, his last came a decade after his debut in 1993.
1. Gareth Batty – 308 FC wickets for Surrey
Topping the list is the ever-reliable Gareth Batty who, alongside his gritty batting, was the most effective with the ball for Surrey.
The best figures of 8/64 show how capable he was in controlling the match with his masterful off-spin.
He was a natural leader, captaining Surrey in his later years and being an invaluable mentor to Surrey’s constant production of emerging spinners.
Batty played his final first-class match at the age of 44 – a true testament to his longevity.