THE SECRET IS WE FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER, SAYS CLARKE

SURREY emulated their fabled side of the 1950s when a ninth successive victory gave them the County Championship title yesterday. Not since the Surrey team who lifted seven consecutive titles won nine games in a row in 1957 have any county been such emphatic winners of the trophy that still means the most in the domestic game. Worcestershire made Surrey fight all the way for that ninth win at New Road yesterday before Morne Morkel, such a successful addition this season, hit the winning boundary in a three-wicket win. Veteran all-rounder Rikki Clarke, 36, said: ‘Everything we’ve done has been a team effort. We work for each other, we fight for each other. The backroom staff have been brilliant.’ Alec Stewart, director of cricket, added: ‘The players have grown together but they’ve got to continue to grow.’