Their 10-wicket thrashing of Nottinghamshire at The Oval on Thursday gave them a first County Championship since 1971 - and silenced those critics who claimed they did not have the backbone to claim the big prize.

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Surrey have long been one of the most talented sides in the English game.

Throughout the 1990s they have boasted world-class players like Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe, Mark Butcher and Adam Hollioake.

Yet when it came to the championship, they were eclipsed by less illustrious sides - Glamorgan, Leicestershire - who proved that a strong team ethic can often overcome individual brilliance.

Ian Ward celebrates after scoring a boundary to secure the title

Time and again the south London-based side failed to live up to their promise and missed out on the title.

And their repeated failure could not just be explained away by a reaction to losing their best players to Test duty.

Some less kind observers claimed the team lacked the ability to fight their way out of a corner.

Surrey may have dominated the domestic game in the 1950s, the line went, but the 1990s version merely flattered to deceive.

Supporters - and some players - from the provincial counties revelled in Surrey's discomfort, thumbing their noses at what they perceived as a team of preening city-slickers, who were more interested in style than substance.

Team spirit

Now that the 28-year hoodoo has been disposed of, the sense of relief around The Oval is tangible.

Saqlain Mushtaq wins the praise of his team-mates after taking seven wickets against Durham

Proud captain Adam Hollioake proclaimed: "It's fantastic - the best moment of my career with Surrey.

"The last time we won the title was around about the time I was born.

"It's been a brilliant team effort. In the past we have had good players and have probably under-achieved."

The title has been secured thanks to a new-found team spirit - allied to some exceptional individual efforts.

Saqlain Mushtaq has been the undoubted star, the Pakistani justifying his reputation as one of the finest slow-bowlers in the world, with 58 wickets in the last eight matches.

His fellow spinner Ian Salisbury has proved equally reliable and former England paceman Martin Bicknell managed arguably the best form of his career.

Then there are the England batsmen, Stewart, Thorpe and Butcher, and the captain himself.

But Hollioake insisted: "I'm not going to single out anybody. Saqlain Mushtaq has, because of the World Cup, been here for only half a season. We believe in a team effort."

His coach Keith Medlycott continued the theme: "It was a monumental effort," he said. "We showed the spirit we had in the dressing room."

A hard lesson learned

Last summer Surrey could have won the title in the final match - but they were thrashed by eventual champions Leicestershire and finished fifth, a bitter pill to swallow at The Oval.

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But for Hollioake, that disappointment has now been forgotten.

"If we had won the championship we might not have known why we had won it," he added.

"But we are better tactically and mentally 12 months on - and we play the game hard.

"We've had some big wins, but I don't think any side has rolled over and died. In fact, I think the standard has improved in the County Championship during my time in it."

Grace Road graceful in defeat

And now, at last, Surrey's players appear to have earned the respect of their peers from the provinces.

Jack Birkinshaw coach of Leicestershire, whose county crown Surrey have snatched, hailed their "magnificent achievement".

"They have been so consistent all season," he said, "even when their England players were away at the beginning of the summer for the World Cup and also for the Test series against New Zealand.

"They have been the best side in the country by a long way."