SURREY bowler Stuart Meaker is expecting a good contest when Somerset take to the field at the Kia Oval this morning (Wednesday).
The two sides meet in Surrey's first LV= County Championship Division One fixture of the 2013 season, while Somerset are looking to bounce back from a 48 run defeat to Durham last week.
But the Surrey paceman is expecting a tough test from Somerset, who have been one of the most consistent sides in the County Championship in recent years.
"It's going to be a great challenge with the likes of Nick Compton and Marcus Trescothick, who is as good as anyone," he said.
"It was a good contest when we played them twice last year and I would expect it to be the same this time around."
Meaker is particularly wary of Compton, who was named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year after a stunning season for Somerset in 2012, which culminated in him opening the batting for England with Alastair Cook in the winter Test series in India and New Zealand.
And Meaker said Compton is an example to all aspiring English players that it is possible to break into the international set-up.
"He seized an opportunity," he said.
"When Andrew Strauss retired there were a few question marks over who was going to plug that gap.
"But Compton has come in and done a fantastic job and it just shows that you might not have been on the ECB's radar at the start of your career, but if you perform well on the county set-up it can put you in there."
The two sides meet in Surrey's first LV= County Championship Division One fixture of the 2013 season, while Somerset are looking to bounce back from a 48 run defeat to Durham last week.
But the Surrey paceman is expecting a tough test from Somerset, who have been one of the most consistent sides in the County Championship in recent years.
"It's going to be a great challenge with the likes of Nick Compton and Marcus Trescothick, who is as good as anyone," he said.
"It was a good contest when we played them twice last year and I would expect it to be the same this time around."
Meaker is particularly wary of Compton, who was named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year after a stunning season for Somerset in 2012, which culminated in him opening the batting for England with Alastair Cook in the winter Test series in India and New Zealand.
And Meaker said Compton is an example to all aspiring English players that it is possible to break into the international set-up.
"He seized an opportunity," he said.
"When Andrew Strauss retired there were a few question marks over who was going to plug that gap.
"But Compton has come in and done a fantastic job and it just shows that you might not have been on the ECB's radar at the start of your career, but if you perform well on the county set-up it can put you in there."
