EVERYONE is a little bit different when you are at the crease alongside them.
I'm obviously sad that I won't be batting alongside the skipper, Graeme Smith, for a few months while he returns to South Africa for treatment on his injury. We will miss him, and not just for his batting but also his leadership on and off the field.
However, it has given me the chance to spend some time with Jason Roy at the crease. Really, Jason and Graeme aren't that different; they were both born in South Africa for a start. But I've been playing alongside Jason since I was ten, so by now it comes pretty easy to me.
I guess the main difference is without Graeme alongside me, the focus is more on me to do well. The added pressure doesn't really affect me, I don't think I play any differently, but if anything it might make me a little more responsible which can't be a bad thing.
Every batsman has a different way of speaking at the crease; some people are tense but both Jason and I are quite relaxed.
Most of the Surrey squad are quite relaxed, the only one I can think of who is serious is Arun Harinath. It's no bad thing, and in fact, the more serious he is, the more I enjoy it. He is just very intense.
My Surrey team-mate, and regular dinner-date, Matthew Dunn made his debut for Banstead on Saturday. I've been trying to convince him to sign for Banstead for a while, but after Normandy got relegated he finally caved. He had a good debut and, being the ultimate club man, I went down after the game to see everyone.
There has been a bit of talk on Twitter between Tom Jewell and the Banstead players whether Tom's side, Guildford, would finish above Banstead or not this season.
Tom said that if us "clowns" finished above Guildford this season then he would retire from cricket altogether. He thinks we build Banstead up too much.
I'm not going to bet my career on it, but I think Banstead will finish the higher.
All I can say is I see a long holiday in Tom's future...
