Surrey have appointed Rikki Clarke as their new vice-captain for 2006.

"I believe the responsibility will hasten Rikki's development as a player and his maturity as a person," said Alan Butcher, the county's coach. "This is a perfect time for us to be looking for someone to take over from Mark in the future and Rikki's ability and good cricket brain made him the outstanding candidate. I see him as being a kind of bridge between the under 25's and the over 30's in our squad, a role that will be vital as we continue our succession planning over the next couple of seasons."

"It will be a great challenge for me but one I'm extremely looking forward to," said Clarke. "I love playing for Surrey and want the club to achieve as much as possible. I hope my appointment will help Surrey reach the heights that I know we can."