Surrey bank on promotion charge

The club is going from strength to strength financially so for the team to fall by the wayside was pretty hard to take Mark Butcher

Surrey believe the father-son pairing of Alan and Mark Butcher can lead them back into the top flight of the County Championship at the first attempt.

Relegation rounded off a desperately disappointing 2005 campaign for a club more accustomed to collecting trophies.

"You get what you deserve in life and the way we conducted ourselves last year, we deserved what happened to us in the end," said skipper Mark.

"I hope that's hurt everyone and they think what it is to represent Surrey."

Butcher's return to full fitness after a wrist injury which restricted him to four Championship appearances last summer is good news for Surrey, especially following Graham Thorpe's retirement.

And their strength in depth throughout the squad make them many people's favourite for the division two title.

I certainly haven't lost the appetite to get back into the Test side Mark Butcher

"I believed last year that we had a squad good enough to win the First Division championship, and my mind hasn't really changed on that," said Butcher.

"I still believe the team have the potential to be one of the best in the country."

And one new arrival to help their promotion charge will be India's leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who has previous county experience with Northants and Leicestershire.

First team coach Alan, a Surrey man through and through, said: "We're very excited about his signing.

"He's proven his worth in abundance at international level, and took plenty of wickets in his spells at Northants and Leicestershire.

Anil Kumble should help draw good crowds to The Oval this summer

"He'll arrive in July and hopefully see through the summer with us. That means he can exploit the best of our conditions at the Oval, when it bounces and can spin under the summer sun - traits which have been his stock and trade all his career.

"Also, with his economy and control at one end, that should complement our pace attack, which leans towards a more attacking nature.

"And his experience in the dressing room, alongside Mark, should be of benefit to everyone in the team."

Meanwhile, Butcher jr believes a prolific season for his club could make him a candidate for next winter's Ashes tour.

"People have asked me a thousand times whether I can get back into the England team or do I want to get back into the England side - and the answer is yes," he said.

"I still believe that, given a fair wind, I'm still one of the better players around and I certainly haven't lost the appetite to get back into the Test side and score runs at the highest level.

"And the best way for me to get back into the side is to score runs and be part of a good Surrey side."

With his father alongside him, success this season would certainly be a family affair.