Surrey County Cricket Club

• Introduction
• Early History
• Success in the 1890s
• The Dark Days
• The Modern Era
• World Record Holders
• Club Info
• Team Records
• Individual Records

Introduction

Founded on the 22nd August 1845, Surrey County Cricket Club have been one of the most successful cricket counties in the country. With 18 County Championship victories in their history, only Yorkshire can boast more.

The club play their games at the Oval cricket ground in South London and have done so since its formation in 1845. For limited-over games Surrey are nicknamed the Surrey Brown Caps and play in the club colours, which are chocolate brown and silver.

The club badge is the Prince of Wales’ three feathers. Introduced in 1915, the Prince of Wales gave his consent to the design, being the owner of the land upon which the Oval ground stands.

Early History

The club played their first county match against Kent in June 1846 and would have to wait only four years to be crowned the ‘Champion County’ for the first time. This sparked Surrey’s first great era with them winning a further six titles throughout the 1850s.

Central to this successful period in the club’s history were players such as all rounder William Cafyn, full time wicket keeper Tom Lockyer and batsman, bowler and occasional wicket keeper HH Stephenson. Stephenson became the first ever cricketer to be awarded a cap for taking three wickets in consecutive balls while playing for an All-England 11 side, coining the term ‘hat-trick’.

Success in the 1890s

Surrey’s next great era was in the run up to the turn of the century. Between 1887 and 1899 the club won nine championship titles including three Champion County titles and became the first winners of the new County Championship in 1890, before taking the same title in 1891, 1892, 1894, 1895 and 1899.

This great period of success can be largely attributed to the performances of some of Surrey’s finest ever players. The emergence of three key bowlers meant that Surrey boasted the finest bowling attack in the country. Combining the pace of Bill Lockwood, the stamina of Tom Richardson and the persistence of George Lohmann, captain John Shuter was often spoilt for choice.

The Dark Days

However, in the aftermath of such a prolific period there was a sharp decline in success that would last half a century. The first part of the 20th Century is considered Surrey’s darkest period in county cricket, with them winning just one title in 1914. The failure to replace the bowling trio of Lohmann, Richardson and Lockwood meant that the team struggled to take wickets and Surrey’s Oval ground became known as a batsman’s dream, resulting in high scores and many matches ending in a draw.

Return of the Glory Days

The glory days returned soon after the end of World War II with Surrey winning seven consecutive County Championships between 1952 and 1958. Like previous successful periods the club had amassed a prolific bowling attack. By this time it had become increasingly evident that the Oval pitch was ideal for spin bowling, and the pairing of left-handed Tony Lock and off spinner Jim Laker was key to Surrey’s success. Laker is best known for his remarkable figures of 19-90 during an England game against Australia in 1956. Incidentally, it was Surrey team-mate Lock who took the other wicket.

< h2>The Modern Era

After another stagnant period that saw Surrey win the County Championship just once in 40 years, there came another great team and more glory. Under the captaincy of Adam Hollioake the club won a further three County Championships in 1999, 2000 and 2002 as well as the 2001 Benson and Hedges Cup and the Twenty20 cup in 2003.

During this successful period, Surrey could rely on a wealth of individual talent. England international test match players Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash led the way with the bat while a number of well-chosen overseas players such as Azhar Mahmood and Saqlain Mushtaq made good use of the ball.

World Record Holders

Surrey’s most famous match of recent times came in April 2007 during a 50 over Friends Provident Trophy tie against Gloucestershire. The Brown Caps put on a world record 496 that included 22 sixes and 47 fours. Opening pair Alistair Brown and James Benning hit 176 and 152 respectively, while Rikki Clarke needed just 28 balls to hit his 82 runs. Surrey’s total exceeded the previous record held by Sri Lanka who hit 443 against the Netherlands.

Club Info

The Oval ground is situated in Kennington, London and is easily accessible by all means of transport. Just a short walk from Oval or Vauxhall tube stations the club recommends the use of public transport and offers no parking facilities. More details on how to get to the Oval can be found on the official website

Tickets for domestic matches are £12 for adults and £6 for Under 16s with prices increasing to £20 and £10 for all Twenty20 cup matches. More information can be found on the official website

For all enquiries the club can be contacted on 08712 461100 or via e-mail enquiries@surreycricket.com

Team Records

Most First- Class Appearances:

1. Jack Hobbs- 598
2. Tom Hayward- 593
3. Herbert Strudwick- 554
4. Andrew Sandham- 525
5. Bobby Abel- 514
6. Ernie Hayes- 500
7. Mickey Stewart- 498
8. Pat Pocock- 485
9. Eric Bedser- 443
10. Bernie Constable- 434

Highest Innings Total:

1. 811 v Somerset 1899
2. 742 v Hampshire 1909
3. 717 v Somerset 2006
4. 707-9declared v Lancashire 1990
5. 706-4d v Nottinghamshire 1947
6. 701-9d v Glamorgan 2001
7. 698 v Sussex 1888
8. 693 v Nottinghamshire 2003
9. 686-5d v Middlesex 2005
10. 669-5d v Northamptonshire 2006

Individual Records:

Most First-Class Career Runs:

1. Jack Hobbs- 43554
2. Tom Hayward- 36171
3. Andy Sandham- 33312
4. John Edrich- 29305
5. Bobby Abel- 27609
6. Ernie Hayes- 25062
7. Micky Stewart- 25007
8. Andy Ducat- 23108
9. Laurie Fishlock- 22138
10. KF Barrington- 19197

Highest Batting Score:

1. 357* R Abel v Somerset 1899
2. 338 WW Read v Oxford University 1888
3. 316* JB Hobbs v Middlesex 1926
4. 315* TW Hayward v Lancashire 1898
5. 306* A Ducat v Oxford University 1919
6. 301* MR Ramprakash v Northamptonshire 2006
7. 295* AD Brown v Leicestershire 2000
8. 294* DM Ward v Derbyshire 1994
9. 292* A Sandham v Northamptonshire 1921
10. 292 MR Ramprakash v Gloucestershire 2006

Most Career Wickets:

1. T Richardson- 1775
2. GAR Lock- 1713
3. PGH Fender- 1586
4. AV Bedser- 1459
5. AR Gover- 1437
6. PI Pocock- 1399
7. JC Laker- 1395
8. WS Lees- 1331
9. JW Hitch- 1232
10. GA Lohmann- 1221

Most Wickets in an Innings:

1. 10-43 T Rushby v Somerset 1921
2. 10-45 T Richardson v Essex 1894
3. 10-54 GAR Lock v Kent 1956
4. 10-67 EA Watts v Warwickshire 1939
5. 10-88 JC Laker v Australians 1956
6. 9-17 PJ Loader v Warwickshire 1958
7. 9-28 PJ Loader v Kent 1953
8. 9-31 WC Smith v Hampshire 1904
9. 9-45 MP Bicknell v Leicestershire 2000
10. 9-47 JW Sharpe v Middlesex 1891