What a difference a week makes. Surrey are on the up and up at last. Following the 2nd XI's convincing three-day win against Sussex at Hove, the first team went north for two Friends Provident Trophy clashes.

Although the Brown Caps narrowly failed to ram home their advantage against Durham, they bounced back the next day to annihilate Yorkshire.

In conditions that favoured the ball, the visitors opted to bat first. But the significance of their 184-7 only became apparent when Yorkshire collapsed from 78-2 to 83-7 in the space of 28 balls thanks to Chris Schofield and new overseas signing Grant Elliott.

Not to be outdone, the reserves then proceeded to crush Gloucestershire's reserves at Whitgift School in the 2nd XI Trophy.

In reply to Surrey's 242 all out, Gloucestershire were skittled out for just 82. After the game the Brown Caps' new 2nd XI coach, Ian Salisbury, was upbeat and with good reason.

He said: "We were way off the pace in the first couple of second-team games. We were done harshly with the toss on both occasions, but there are ways to lose games. There were a few harsh words, but since then I can't fault the guys.

"If you want to be critical, we could have got a few more runs today, but in the field they were diving around and there was genuine want.

"The guys who were successful last week, people like Matthew Spriegel and Gary Wilson, went up to Yorkshire and were successful in the first team. That's what we want. Hopefully, Stuart Meaker will do that and then it will become infectious."

The former Surrey and England leg-spinner was also impressed with the way the first-team reacted to losing to Durham by one run. He said: "On Sunday, because we hadn't been winning, we just forgot how to win. Then to bounce back the next day and win shows we're on the right track, because if you lose games you should have won sometimes that can have a hugely negative effect."

"The successful sides that I've been lucky enough to play in over the past 20 years have had two things and that is the right attitude and the right amount of talent."

Asked for his verdict on the pitch and facilities at Whitgift School, Salisbury said: "It's fantastic. It's a hell of a lot better than my old school wicket. There's more grass on this bank than there was at my school.

"It's May 5 and we've had the keeper nearly standing on the 30-yard circle to two bowlers.

"We had some young talent on display today – George Edwards, what a find he is. Tom Lancefield impressed, Stuart Meaker, Rory Burns the keeper, there is talent there.

"Looking at some of the age groups all the way down, the talent's there. We've just got to get that to the first team. Not just ready to play, but ready to perform. So that when they come in it's not just a speculative will they score runs, will they take wickets, we will know they can perform."