Gareth Batty Column: Early-season form of Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope says much about their character
18.04.26, 14:39 Updated 19.05.26, 20:04 3 Minute Read
Gareth Batty
Two matches, two draws and still some way off from where we want to be in our Rothesay County Championship campaign but, in the cases of Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith – among others – a wonderful early-season vindication of all the hard work they have been putting in over the past two months.
I am thrilled to be writing a monthly column this summer for The Rey, and very pleased to see the site quickly establish itself after launching in early February. It is great to see county cricket being covered in this way, and very widely too across the CounterPress platform; it is an exciting initiative and one I support wholeheartedly.
Writing this column will also give me the regular opportunity to speak directly to all supporters of Surrey Cricket, and in this first column I’d like to mention a couple of our England players, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith.
Lots has been written and said about England’s winter Ashes tour, and the disappointing 4-1 series defeat to Australia. Obviously, from a personal level as an England fan, and from speaking to people who have travelled out to the games, the frustrations are understandable.
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