Surrey captain Gareth Batty ready to test himself against the best
Friday 4 December 2015 15:12, UK
Surrey captain Gareth Batty is looking forward to locking horns with the best teams in the country in LV= County Championship Division One next year.
Batty led his side to the Division Two title last term and they have been handed a trip to Trent Bridge to face Nottinghamshire on the opening day of the 2016 season - Sunday April 10 - after the fixture list was published on Wednesday.
That game is already on Batty's radar and he is also relishing the two matches against back-to-back champions Yorkshire at Headingley from Sunday May 8 and at The Oval from Monday July 11.
Batty told Sky Sports News HQ: "I think sport is all about testing yourselves against the best teams and Yorkshire have been the best team for a very long time.
"We start this campaign against Notts who are a very, very strong team and a very good club. Pretty much every team in the first division is a real challenge so it's exciting to play against all those teams."
Surrey just failed to add the Royal London One-Day Cup to their trophy haul last season after losing to Gloucestershire in the final, but Batty believes his side are capable of winning a major prize in the next few seasons.
He said: "I truly believe we can [win something]. We have a wonderful squad. We certainly have the ability to take 20 wickets, which means you can win games of cricket.
"So I feel it's just now a question of the management getting the planning correct and then the players performing out on the field, but it's a very exciting time for the club.
"I believe we probably should be looking at some sort of silverware, certainly in the foreseeable future."
Surrey have added left-arm fast bowler Mark Footitt to their squad for next season after signing him from Derbyshire and Batty believes he will be a valuable addition.
"He's had a wonderful two or three years up at Derby and he's really put himself on the map - hence his call up into the England squad for the South African trip," said Batty.
"He's a wonderful addition for us, a left-arm seam bowler who bowls quick and has the ability to bowl 90mph and swing it back into the stumps, which, as well all know, is very important at the minute. If you can do that then you are going to be a huge asset to any team."
