Medlycott leaves The Oval

Keith Medlycott, who managed Surrey to three County Championship titles and four other major trophies, has decided to leave the club after six years in charge.

Medlycott said: "It has been a privilege to have managed the side since 1998 through a period of unrivalled success. To have been part of this era gives me enormous pleasure and pride. I now feel that following Adam [Hollioake]'s decision to stand down as captain that the time is right for me to leave to pursue other opportunities and fresh challenges. Adam and myself formed a fantastic winning partnership, and it's now time for me to look forward to the future. I believe I have taken Surrey as far as I can, and that under a new manager and a new captain in Jonathan Batty, the Club can continue to be successful."

Medlycott, who's now 38, played for Surrey between 1984 and 1992: he toured West Indies with England in 1989-90, without playing in a Test. He rejoined Surrey in 1997 as assistant cricket manager to Dave Gilbert, and took overall charge of the team the following year.

Under Medlycott, Surrey won the County Championship in 1999 - their first title since 1971 - and repeated that success in 2000 and 2002. They won the Benson & Hedges Cup in 2001 (and 1997, when Medlycott was still Gilbert's assistant), the second division of the National League in 2000 and the first division in 2003. They also won the inaugural Twenty20 Cup in 2003.

But cracks began to appear in the strong Surrey side towards the end of 2003. First they squandered a commanding lead in the Championship, allowing Sussex to sneak past for their first title. Then several pillars of the squad decided to leave or were released: Alec Stewart retired, Ian Ward signed for Sussex, and there were whispers that Alistair Brown and Rikki Clarke were disenchanted. Then Adam Hollioake announced that the 2004 season would be his last, and stepped down from the captaincy: in a surprise move, he was replaced by Jonathan Batty. It will be a very different Oval in 2004 ...