He made his first-class debut in 1966 against Cambridge University and picked up three wickets in the first over of the second innings. He became a regular fixture in the Surrey first team during the 1968 season and was awarded a county cap in 1970. Within a couple of years he had become the mainstay of Surrey's bowling attack and claimed 50 wickets or more for nine successive seasons through the 1970s, often on unresponsive wickets, whilst his lower order batting also made frequent important contributions to the team. He became known for his wholehearted effort, his long, trundling run-up and side-on delivery action, and for his theatrically fierce and loud appealing for wickets.