Dan Lawrence signs for Surrey from 2024 season

https://www.kiaoval.com/surrey-sign-dan-lawrence-for-2024-season/

This is an EXCELLENT signing, but it does feel like we're poaching a player I don't think we need

Will Macpherson has also reported that Essex's offer was bigger financially - I guess the lure of playing at the Oval and the squad setup has won him over.

A la Ramps in 2001. Get your hard hats on folks!!!

We finally have a spinner.

Cee Gee wrote:We finally have a spinner.

It'll certainly be one of the more interesting actions we'll see in a Surrey shirt

His highest FC score was against us at The Oval.

Great capture . Welcome , Dan . Hope we are not releasing Geddes . Perhaps Patel is moving on .

I really, really, really hope this doesn't mean we're letting a homegrown talent like Geddes go

Great signing. Still only 25 and having already seen Ollie Pope elevated to England, it’s not inconceivable that Smith and Foakes will join him soon. I’d release Roy to biff his way around the world leagues and keep Geddes.

We have looked short of a batter at times and this move fills that gap, also adding to our spin department.   Much depends on how available he is, will he spend his seasons sitting on the international bench?  

A good signing I think, I hope it does not interfere with the development of our youngsters.  Patel is the obvious player in danger and while I rate him as a decent squad player if he has to go elsewhere as a result so be it.

Certainly a good move for the player.

Can't get excited over this bloke.

Great signing. We seem to be a top-four batsman light once England nab Pope.

This will enable us to prioritise gun bowlers for our overseas picks and their replacements if they can't do a full season. Burns, Sibley, Pope, Smith, Lawrence, Foakes is some top six: when Pope is missing they all move up a place.

It may also spell the end of Cameron Steel, who will be third in line for the spinning batsman slot, behind Jacks and Lawrence.

Good signing for the Club not so good if your a young batter at Surrey trying to breakthrough.

He's a quality player and I really rate him but I don't get it.

We've been producing young batsmen for a while. Yes we've lost Pope to England for the foreseeable but Foakes is likely to play a fair amount for us. We are incredibly well stocked. Ryan Patel has a good season when we won the championship last year but can barely get a game this year. Cam Steel scored a ton and then got dropped for the returning Will Jacks. Ben Geddes is very young but came into the side at the end of last season, scored a ton and was impressive. Hasn't even made the squad this year despite them saying how highly rated he is. Not sure where this move leaves those and other young players.

I also don't think Surrey Hoovering up all the talent just below England level is good for the game. We want the top players spread around.

I think he will do great for us. But not sure it is the right move for the club.

The only reason I can think of that could justify this is if there is truth in the rumours that came out over the winter that Burns was considering jacking it all in. In that case maybe they are planning to push Patel up to open again and Lawrence to come in at 3 (and drop down to 4 when Pope may return?).

We're getting to the point where at full strength we could conceivably put out 2 sides which would be capable of challenging for the title.

The Surrey stament puts emphasis on his offspin too. That worries me even more. Given our seeming obsession with 5 seamers and a part time spinner then it suggests we might use his as such either alongside Jacks or maybe they're anticipating losing jacks to England and franchise white ball cricket. Either way it pushes Cam Steel further down the pecking order and doesn't bode well for Moriarty or Virdi. Or spin more generally in this country.

I agree with everyone's concerns here regarding this signing. Although Lawrence is a good player, why are we really interested in him? Like others I really don't like the idea of taking players from other counties especially when we have one of the best and most coveted academies of our own in the country. I thought Geddes looked a very good prospect at the end of last season but he has not had a look-in so far this year. I suppose it could be that Lawrence is seen as an upgrade for Ryan Patel who, although he has down fairly well, has never really cemented his place. Then there is the spin bowling question also raised by others. Is Lawrence's spin bowling really better than Jacks as an option. I agree with earlier posts that it does not look encouraging for Moriarty or Virdi if we are stressing Lawrence's ability to offer a useful additional spin alternative. The final elephant in the room is the continuing rumours about Burns. His form has been poor so far this season and his body language does not look as positive as in previous years. Has he caught the "Zafar Ansari Blues"??

RightArmSlow wrote:...our seeming obsession with 5 seamers .

RightArmSlow wrote:He's a quality player and I really rate him but I don't get it.

We've been producing young batsmen for a while. Yes we've lost Pope to England for the foreseeable but Foakes is likely to play a fair amount for us. We are incredibly well stocked. Ryan Patel has a good season when we won the championship last year but can barely get a game this year. Cam Steel scored a ton and then got dropped for the returning Will Jacks. Ben Geddes is very young but came into the side at the end of last season, scored a ton and was impressive. Hasn't even made the squad this year despite them saying how highly rated he is. Not sure where this move leaves those and other young players.

I also don't think Surrey Hoovering up all the talent just below England level is good for the game. We want the top players spread around.

I think he will do great for us. But not sure it is the right move for the club.

The only reason I can think of that could justify this is if there is truth in the rumours that came out over the winter that Burns was considering jacking it all in. In that case maybe they are planning to push Patel up to open again and Lawrence to come in at 3 (and drop down to 4 when Pope may return?).

We're getting to the point where at full strength we could conceivably put out 2 sides which would be capable of challenging for the title.

Someone should have told Dan if that was the case, what with him saying how he’s looking forward to working with Rory

Why would Burns Jack it in?

It is rumoured that he has taken losing his England opening role with difficulty

Anyone who is insufficiently satisfied with the honour of being captain of Surrey - especially this Surrey side - doesn't deserve to be.

I'm not suggesting that's where Burns's head is at, but if it were then that should be our response.

Anyone who is insufficiently satisfied with the honour of being captain of Surrey - especially this Surrey side - doesn't deserve to be.

I'm not suggesting that's where Burns's head is at, but if it were then that should be our response.

I agree. Perhaps he might be happier and get back to scoring runs if he got a sensible man's haircut!!!

I commend Stewie and his team for landing Dan so quickly. I think we have seen the last of JRoy.
RightArmSlow neglected to mention Jamie Smith among our batting talents. He is worth a first-team place on his batting alone

I was loth to post on this yesterday but it is interesting to see some different reactions the next day. There have been some points on other threads commenting unfavourably on the poor quality of some of the Div 1 sides (including, ahem...) and the resulting lack of competitiveness. Well, if counties like Surrey, Notts and Warwickshire hoover up talent from elsewhere, isn't that the likely outcome? Of course it is not those counties' jobs to weaken themselves by forgoing signings but the last thing anyone wants, surely, is one county dominating for years, even if it is your own county.

Also struck me that Lawrence's reasons for moving presumably include increasing his England chances, so it might be covering losing players to England with another who might be lost to England! That would differ from previous signings like Clark, Steel, Worrall and so on, who have (I would say) outperformed expectations but are not going to be lost to international cricket.

I'm not so sure about the last bit.

Exhibit A - M Ramprakash. Moved to win trophies and play among quality players (ok, possibly for better money too!), not to increase his England chances (it didn't, despite the volume of runs he plundered).

Exhibit B - D Sibley. Little older than Lawrence, and presumably as likely to play for England anytime remotely soon: Sibley because his style is out of fashion; Lawrence because the middle-order is settled to the point there was no room for Foakes.

Sometimes England is not the be all and end all, thank goodness. Surrey have at last rediscovered the happy knack of garnering quality players in their prime who fly under the England radar (and, in Abbott this year, under the Australian radar too) as Essex have done so effectively for years.