The Cricketer looks at the main talking points from the County Championship game between Surrey and Essex at the Kia Oval
You can only gobble up runs against the bowling in front of you, and Dean Elgar has scored tougher hundreds than one completed against a combination of Dom Sibley's leg-spin and the medium pace of Rory Burns and Ben Foakes. Jordan Clark took the gloves during a fairly unedifying ending to a contest that had been hard-fought and somewhat compelling before a draw became an inevitability.
But Essex will be encouraged nonetheless that, even without the guarantee of Jordan Cox's runs, they've carved out centuries for their entire top three against the champions in three of the last four seasons.
Elgar, rather sheepishly, took off his helmet to soak in the acclaim, as Essex left the Kia Oval with an important share of the spoils after suffering consecutive defeats following their resounding opening win over Hampshire.
Related: Cameron Steel retires with no stone unturned and his peers' admiration
Cam Steel has retired from professional cricket (Ben Hoskins/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)
A slow fourth day in south London was, at least, made somewhat noteworthy by the sad retirement of Cameron Steel, the leg-spinning allrounder who has been forced to quit by a persistent ankle injury that has proven impossible to shake.
Steel, the ultimate team man, was a key part of the squad that completed the County Championship threepeat.
"Playing cricket for a living, and particularly for Surrey, has been the best time of my life," Steel said in a statement released by the club. "The last 18 months have been frustrating, and I'm gutted to be retiring on medical grounds.
"Cricket had become something I was watching, rather than doing, with too much time in the Oval's windowless gym and not enough time out in the middle. I've always prided myself on working hard and doing everything I can to improve, and I gave my all to get back on the park. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
"Surrey have always encouraged me to be unapologetically myself, and I'm hugely grateful to the club, the players and the members for their support throughout my time here."
Dean Elgar made an unbeaten century on day four (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)
Nottinghamshire might have snatched away the County Championship title last September, ending Surrey's three-year grip on the Lord's Taverners trophy, but it has been a good period for the South Londoners from a PR perspective.
They have enjoyed another fine run of attendances during the visit of Essex, for whom this is their shortest first-class trip of the season.
That is off the back of over 84,000 spectators (Wisden Almanack reported this figure as 77,357), attending Championship matches in 2025.
Numbers this summer have been enhanced by the club launching an initiative to draw office workers to the ground. Sure, people using the Kia Oval as a remote office is nothing new, but more than 100 made use of the facility during the Leicestershire match in round two.
And there was an olive branch extended to finishers of the weekend's London Marathon, too, who could obtain free tickets for days three or four by posting their medal on social media or sending an image to the club.
Some who took up this offer might be wondering what they committed to however, with Surrey and Essex playing out a rather pedestrian four-day draw.
The season has certainly started better off the field than on it. Surrey Men will end the first month of the season winless in Division One, ahead of the second half of the first red-ball block when they host Sussex and travel to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.
Thank goodness for the women, who have started their One Day Cup campaign with three wins out of four.
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