Surrey taskmaster demands results

By Oliver Brett

Preparation for the season starts 1 March which is something new for everyone Steve Rixon

The hard taskmaster that he is, one suspects Surrey coach Steve Rixon must have been conducting some ferocious dressing-downs to his players in the middle of last season.

In mid-July, they were entrenched in the relegation zone in the County Championship.

They had been knocked out of the C&G Trophy by Ireland and were also in desperate shape in Division One of the National League.

A revival followed, which saw them reach the final of the Twenty20 Cup and in the last few weeks of the Championship Surrey hit a purple patch which saw them finish third in the table.

They finished plum last in the National League, however, and overall Rixon was not overly enamoured with his first season in charge at The Oval.

"It was disappointing from the results point of view," he told BBC Sport.

"I felt we under-achieved overall. Our one-day form was poor and our four-day performance took far too long in the season to unravel.

"Once we got it right, what I saw in the last four or five games gave me great excitement about what we can do in the future."

Rixon is a man used to success.

Born in New South Wales half a century ago, he was Australia's wicket-keeper for 13 Test matches between 1977 and 1985, generally having to yield to Rod Marsh.

He had better fortune as a coach, and swiftly led New South Wales to three Sheffield Shield finals in his first five years there, starting in 1989-90.

In the late 1990s, he set New Zealand on an upward curve, culminating in their Test series win in England, and he returned for a brief spell at NSW before switching to Surrey.

Rixon hopes Rikki Clarke can stand up and be counted in 2005

There will be no easy build-up to the 2005 season for the Surrey staff. "Next year will be different," he barked in his forthright manner.

"Preparation for the season starts 1 March which is something new for everyone - an extra month of pre-season training.

"We will get our players stronger, fitter and more mentally prepared for the season ahead.

"If we start well, with a lot of ambition and a lot of fit players who are raring to go, you can be certain that Surrey will start the next season with all guns blazing."

The appointment of Mark Butcher as captain was properly planned, he insisted.

"We get six games out of him before he has to be taken aboard for the England team - Mark Ramprakash will take over in his absence - and hopefully by then there will be some momentum."

There is little sympathy for Alex Tudor, however, however, however, released after serving 10 injury-hit seasons for the south London club.

"I'm seeing a guy who has played 60 matches in 10 years - that's not good enough.

"Compare him with Jimmy Ormond who is an out-and-out pro. Jimmy bowled over 600 overs in first-class cricket last season - that's inexcusable for a strike bowler but he's not had the back-up.

"He should bowl about 350 and it's not fair on his career."

If Rixon has to frogmarch his team to silverware in 2005, then one senses he would not be afraid to do so.