Surrey focus on treble

Surrey have set their sights on a seasonal treble after winning the inaugural Twenty20 Cup.

SURREY'S SUCCESSES Hollioake has plenty of experience of handling silverware Championship 1999-2000, 2002 B&H Cup 2001 Twenty20 Cup 2003

Adam Hollioake's side hold a five-point lead over Sussex in County Championship Division One, and are also heading the one-day National League after six victories in eight games.

"We all got together at the beginning of the year and, without trying to be big-headed, we felt that if we could maintain our focus throughout the whole year, we seriously thought we could win all four.

"In other years we maybe thought we were a bit short in the one-day game, but this year we seriously thought we could do it," he said.

A clean sweep is, however, out of reach after being knocked out of the C&G Trophy at the quarter-final stage.

"We were very disappointed to lose the game against Derbyshire but, now that we've got two trophies out of the way, we can focus on the Championship and the Sunday league.

"We know the other sides aren't going to hand it us and that we are going to have to play well," said Hollioake.

Surrey lifted the Twenty20 Cup after a nine-wicket thrashing of Warwickshire in the final at Trent Bridge.

The total attendance for the competition, which replaced the B&H Cup, exceeded 250,000 and officials are already thinking about how they can further enhance its popularity next year.

Alistair Brown hits one of his three sixes in the final

The 18 counties were split into three groups for last month's zonal phase, but some counties are backing a change to two larger groups.

Surrey coach Keith Medlycott believes the standards will be even higher next year - and that the game will eventually find its way into international cricket.

"It's a fabulous new concept. There can always be improvements but at the moment I'd like to see the status quo.

"Players and teams next year will understand more about it and I can see them getting better."

His view is shared by Warwickshire captain Nick Knight, who thinks the skills of players have been enhanced by Twenty20 cricket.

"It's probably taken the boundaries of the game a little bit further," Knight commented.

"I don't think it's been as unorthodox as we at first thought it would be.

"If you look at the people who have performed well in the Twenty20, they are the guys who generally play pretty orthodox cricket combined with a bit of canny unorthodoxy at the right time.

"I think it will help international 50-over cricket because that slight element of unorthodoxy will come into 50-over cricket even more."