These have been strange weeks for Surrey, county cricket’s predominant force. Three rounds, three draws; three titles in a row unlikely to become four. If a combination of placid pitches and the ill-timed inclemency of the weather have prevented the best in Division One from separating from the rest – not one of the ten teams has yet won more than a single game – a Surrey side so used to clicking into gear quickly have been left contemplating a stuttering start.
Shared solace could, at least, be taken with the fourth-round visitors to The Oval. Perennial bridesmaids Somerset, like Surrey, are yet to win; for regular title rivals, even early in a season that will extend deep into September, this feels a pivotal meeting.
