Sutton Cricket Club's Arun Harinath reckons he will only have himself to blame if he fails to get a chance in the Surrey first team this season.

The 23-year-old notched an unbeaten first senior century for Surrey against the United Arab Emirates at the Emirates Airline Forty 40 in Dubai last week to warm up for the coming campaign in style.

The former Tiffin School student scored 165 County Championship runs in six innings - including 57 against Glamorgan at the Brit Oval - at the end of last season on his return from Loughborough University.

Adams gave youth is chance last season as the Lions endured a disappointing summer in all forms of the game, and Harinath, believes that is the sort of form that will put him firmly in cricket manager Chris Adams’ plans.

“It is always nice to hit form early on but conditions are going to be hugely different when we start playing in England,” he said.

“Whether I get a chance this season depends on how well I do.

“It is the player’s responsibility to score runs in second team cricket and in club cricket and if I get given a go it is down to me to take the chance.

“If I don’t play it is probably because I’ve not played well enough.”

Harinath scored some important runs for Sutton as skipper Phil Sampson’s men romped to the Surrey Championship Premier League title in style last summer.

The Wimbledon-based youngster, who celebrated his birthday two days after scoring his ton in the middle east, was given his chance in the Sutton first team under former Surrey head coach Keith Medlycott and names the current Purely CC captain as key to his success.

“It is always good to have someone in close touch with county cricket,” he added.

“He taught me a lot on how to be professional on and off the pitch, and how to get the best out of myself. He knows so much about cricket. He has had a big influence on me.”

Harinath’s 18-year-old leg-spinning brother Muhunthan - another given an early chance at Sutton by Medlycott - has recently signed emerging player forms with the Lions and his older sibling reckons he will soon be one to watch at the Brit Oval.

“We’ve not really seen a lot of each other recently because we are usually playing cricket in different parts of the country,” he said.

“The same goes for when we were younger. We were usually sitting on the sofa relaxing rather than playing cricket in the back garden.

“It is good he is here now. I can bat against him and we can help each other. He has every chance of becoming a top cricketer for Surrey.”