Surrey County Cricket Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Surrey County Cricket Club

Nickname(s)	Brown Caps
One Day name	Surrey
Personnel
Captain	Rory Burns
One Day captain	Rory Burns (LA) Sam Curran (T20)
Coach	Gareth Batty
Overseas player(s)	Sai Kishore Mitchell Santner Nathan Smith Adam Zampa (T20)
Chief executive	Steve Elworthy
Team information
Colours	First-class:          List A and T20:
Founded	1845; 180 years ago (1845)
Home ground	The Oval, Kennington, London
Capacity	25,500
History
First-class debut	MCC in 1846 at The Oval
Championship wins	22 outright and 1 shared
Second Division Championship wins	2
CB40/Pro40/Sunday League wins	3
FP Trophy/NatWest Trophy wins	1
Twenty20 Cup wins	1
Benson & Hedges Cup wins	3
First-class T20 One Day

Surrey's traditional first-class cricket kit.

Surrey's home ground, The Oval, with its famous gasholders in the background.

Surrey County Cricket Club (often called Surrey CCC) is a famous cricket team in England. It's one of the 18 "first-class" clubs that play in the top English cricket competitions. The club represents the historic area of Surrey, which now includes parts of South London.

Cricket teams from Surrey have been playing since 1709. The current club was officially started in 1845. Since then, Surrey has always been a top-level team. They have played in every major English cricket competition, including the County Championship, which began in 1890.

Surrey's home ground is The Oval in Kennington, South London. They have played there since 1845. The club also uses a smaller ground in Guildford called Woodbridge Road for some games each year.

Surrey has had many successful periods. They were called "Champion County" seven times in the 1850s. They won the County Championship eight times between 1887 and 1895. This included the very first official Championship in 1890. From 1952 to 1958, they won seven titles in a row! In 1955, Surrey won 23 out of 28 matches. This is a record that can't be beaten today, as fewer matches are played each season. Surrey has won the County Championship 22 times outright and shared it once. Only Yorkshire has won more. Their most recent win was in 2024.

The club's badge has the Prince of Wales's feathers. This symbol has been used since 1915 because the Prince of Wales owns the land where The Oval is built. Surrey's traditional colour is chocolate brown. Players wear brown caps and helmets, which is why the team is sometimes called the 'Brown Caps'.

History of Surrey Cricket

Early Days of Cricket

Cricket is believed to have started from bat and ball games played by children in southeast England. The first written mention of cricket was in 1597. A man named John Derrick from Guildford said that as a child, he and his friends "did runne and play there at Creckett."

In 1611, King James I gave the areas of Kennington and Vauxhall to his son, Prince Henry. The Oval, Surrey's home ground, is located in Kennington. This is why the Prince of Wales's feathers are on the club's badge today.

Cricket became popular in Surrey during the 1600s. The first known "first-class" match in Surrey was in 1707. In 1709, the first known match between two counties took place. It was between Kent and Surrey. Surrey continued to play against other county teams from then on.

Starting the Club: 1845-1864

Surrey County Cricket Club was officially founded on August 18, 1845. About 100 people from different cricket clubs in Surrey met and agreed to form a new county club. They got a lease for Kennington Oval, which used to be a market garden. The first game at The Oval was played in 1845.

Surrey's first official "first-class" match was against the MCC at The Oval in May 1846. The next month, they played their first inter-county match against Kent and won!

The club faced some money problems early on. In 1847, they were in debt and almost closed. But thanks to some dedicated members, the club survived. In 1848, Prince Albert helped prevent buildings from being constructed on The Oval, saving the ground.

In 1855, Surrey got a new 21-year lease for The Oval. The club then had a very successful time, being named "Champion County" seven times between 1850 and 1859, and again in 1864. In 1857, they won all nine of their matches! This was a time for great players like William Caffyn and Julius Caesar. An important moment happened in 1862 during a match between Surrey and England. This event led to the introduction of overarm bowling in cricket, which is how most bowlers bowl today.

Challenges and Comeback: 1866-1899

After a great season in 1864, Surrey struggled in the late 1860s. Key players were getting older, and the team found it hard to find good bowlers. For many years, the team relied heavily on bowler James Southerton and batsman Harry Jupp. In 1871, Surrey didn't win a single county match, which was very unusual.

Things started to improve in 1880 when John Shuter became captain. New talented players like Maurice Read and William Roller joined the team. With the rise of the amazing bowler George Lohmann in 1885, Surrey became a top team again. They were first or tied for first in the three years before the official County Championship began.

Surrey then won the first official County Championship titles in 1890, 1891, and 1892 under John Shuter. After a tough year in 1893, Kingsmill Key took over as captain. He led Surrey to more titles in 1894, 1895, and 1899. During these years, batsman Bobby Abel and bowlers George Lohmann, Bill Lockwood, and Tom Richardson were key players. In 1899, Bobby Abel scored an amazing 357 runs without being out. This helped Surrey reach a huge total of 811 runs against Somerset. Both of these scores are still club records today!

The Jack Hobbs Era: 1900-1939

Surrey's all-time top scorer, Jack Hobbs.

The early 1900s were not as successful for Surrey. They won the County Championship only once in the next 50 years, in 1914. Around this time, the Prince of Wales allowed Surrey to use his feathers on their club badge.

Surrey's most famous player from this time was Jack Hobbs. He started playing for the county in 1905. Hobbs played until 1934 and scored more runs (61,760) and more centuries (199) in first-class cricket than any other player ever! To honor him, the Jack Hobbs Gates were built at The Oval.

Between the two World Wars, Surrey often had a good team, especially with their batting. However, their bowling wasn't always as strong. The pitches at The Oval during this time were very good for batting, which often led to many drawn matches. In 1938, Surrey played a home match away from The Oval for the first time, at Woodbridge Road in Guildford. After 1939, cricket stopped because of the Second World War.

A Period of Great Success: 1945-1958

From 1948 to 1959, Surrey was the best county team in England. They finished first or second in the County Championship in 10 out of 12 seasons. They were runners-up in 1948, shared the championship with Lancashire in 1950, and then won seven titles in a row from 1952 to 1958! They usually won by a large margin.

Their success came from a very strong bowling attack. This included Test bowler Alec Bedser and the amazing spin bowlers Tony Lock and Jim Laker. Laker is considered one of the best spin bowlers ever. The Oval pitches were also good for spin bowling. The team's success was also due to the positive leadership of captain Stuart Surridge, who led them to victory in all five years he was captain (1952-1956). The team was also excellent at fielding. They had great batsmen too, like Peter May and Ken Barrington.

Modern Era: 1959-Present

After their golden age, Surrey had a quieter period. For the next 40 years until 1998, they won the County Championship only once, in 1971. However, they had more success in the shorter forms of the game. In 1969, Surrey had their first overseas player, Pakistani bowler Intikhab Alam.

In the late 1990s, Surrey's luck changed. Under captain Adam Hollioake and coach Keith Medlycott, they won the County Championship in 1999, 2000, and 2002. They also won other competitions, including the first ever Twenty20 Cup in 2003. This success happened even after the sad death of talented player Ben Hollioake, Adam's younger brother, in 2002. In the same year, Ali Brown scored a world record 268 runs in a one-day game for Surrey.

The successful run ended in 2005 when Surrey was moved down to Division Two of the Championship. They quickly came back up in 2006 but were moved down again in 2008. In 2008, they didn't win a single game for the first time since 1871. Despite this, in 2007, Surrey scored a world record 496 runs in a 50-over game against Gloucestershire. Ali Brown again scored a lot of runs, with 176 from just 97 balls.

Many famous England players like Alec Stewart, Mark Butcher, and Graham Thorpe retired in the 2000s. In 2011, Surrey's fortunes improved. They returned to Division One of the County Championship and won the CB40 competition.

After a difficult 2013 season, Alec Stewart became the director of cricket and Graham Ford became head coach. They led Surrey to win the Division Two title in 2015. In 2018, under captain Rory Burns, Surrey dominated the Championship and won the title with two matches to spare. Surrey continued their success by winning three County Championship titles in a row in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This was the first time a county had won three titles in a row since Yorkshire in the 1960s. Rory Burns was captain and Alec Stewart was director of cricket for all these wins, with Gareth Batty as head coach for the last three.

Team Look and Nicknames

Since the club started, its official colour has been chocolate brown. In traditional first-class matches, Surrey players wear a brown cricket cap with their white cricket clothes. Batsmen also wear a brown helmet. Because of this, the club is sometimes called the 'Brown Caps'.

Surrey's badge is a brown shield with white Prince of Wales's feathers and the club's name. The feathers were added in 1915 after Lord Rosebery, a former Surrey captain, got permission from the Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales's estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, owns The Oval ground. The feathers on the badge also include the number 1845, which is the year the club was founded.

Surrey's teams for shorter games (limited overs) have used different names. They were called Surrey Lions, then Surrey Brown Caps, and now they are simply known as Surrey. They have also used many different colours for their uniforms in these games, including black, blue, brown, and gold. Currently, for one-day matches, players wear mostly black with bright blue details. For T20 games, they wear black trousers with bright blue shirts.

Home Grounds

The JM Finn Stand at The Oval.

Surrey has played most of its home matches at The Oval since the club was formed. The stadium can hold 25,500 people. It is the third largest cricket ground in England. Surrey first leased The Oval in 1845 from the Duchy of Cornwall, and they still do today.

The Oval is a very important ground for Test cricket in England. It traditionally hosts the last Test match of the English summer, usually in late August or early September.

Surrey also plays some matches each year at Woodbridge Road in Guildford. This ground can hold 4,500 people. It's known as an 'out-ground' and usually hosts one County Championship match and one one-day match each season. All other home matches are played at The Oval.

Surrey has played home matches at 14 different out-grounds in total. The Oval hosted almost all Surrey home matches between 1846 and 1938.

Rivalry with Middlesex

Mark Ramprakash, who joined Surrey from Middlesex in 2001.

Surrey has a big rivalry with Middlesex. This is called the London derby because both teams are from areas that are now part of Greater London. These matches usually attract the biggest crowds of the season.

In first-class cricket, Surrey has won more of the 267 London derbies than Middlesex. However, the most common result is a draw. In one-day cricket, Middlesex has a slight lead with 28 wins to Surrey's 26. In Twenty20 games, Surrey has won 12 out of 17 matches.

Club Finances

Surrey County Cricket Club usually has strong finances compared to other county teams. This is partly because their home ground, The Oval, hosts international Test cricket matches every year.

In 2008, Surrey made a profit of £583,000, and their income was almost £24 million. Their membership also grew to over 10,000 people. In 2009, they had record profits and income, reaching £752,000 and £25.5 million. However, in 2010, the club faced financial difficulties and had to make some changes.

From 2007 to 2020, the club's income steadily grew. In 2019, The Kia Oval had a record-breaking year, with annual profits of around £6 million and income of £40 million. This was 30 percent higher than in 2018. This strong financial position helped the club manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The club also started building a hotel near The Oval to create more income.

Sponsorship

The Kia Oval during an England vs South Africa Test Match in 2022.

Surrey's main sponsor is Kia Motors. They paid £3.5 million over five years to have their name on the team's shirts and for The Oval to be called The Kia Oval. Before Kia, other main sponsors included Brit plc and AMP Limited. Since 2023, the team's kit (uniform) supplier has been Castore.

Players and Leadership

Current Squad

Here are the players currently in the Surrey County Cricket Club squad.

• No. is the player's shirt number.
• means the player has played for their country's national team.
•  *  means the player has been given a special "county cap" for their achievements with Surrey.

No.	Name	Nat	Birth date	Batting style	Bowling style	Notes
Batters
9	Will Jacks*	England	(1998-11-21) 21 November 1998 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm off break	England central contract
10	Laurie Evans	England	(1987-10-12) 12 October 1987 (age 37)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
17	Rory Burns*	England	(1990-08-26) 26 August 1990 (age 34)	Left-handed	Right-arm medium	Club captain
20	Jason Roy*	England	(1990-07-21) 21 July 1990 (age 35)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
28	Dan Lawrence	England	(1997-07-12) 12 July 1997 (age 28)	Right-handed	Right-arm off break
32	Ollie Pope*	England	(1998-01-02) 2 January 1998 (age 27)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	England central contract
45	Dom Sibley*	England	(1995-09-05) 5 September 1995 (age 29)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	Vice captain
54	Ollie Sykes	England	(2005-03-06) 6 March 2005 (age 20)	Left-handed	Right-arm medium
64	Adam Thomas	England	(2006-07-06) 6 July 2006 (age 19)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
—	Nikhil Gorantla	England	(2003-06-21) 21 June 2003 (age 22)	Right-handed	Right-arm medium
All-rounders
5	Tommy Ealham	England	(2004-03-26) 26 March 2004 (age 21)	Left-handed	Right-arm off break
16	Jordan Clark*	England	(1990-10-14) 14 October 1990 (age 34)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
26	Ryan Patel*	England	(1997-10-26) 26 October 1997 (age 27)	Left-handed	Right-arm medium
30	Tom Lawes	England	(2002-12-25) 25 December 2002 (age 22)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
34	Chris Jordan	England	(1988-10-04) 4 October 1988 (age 36)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
44	Cameron Steel	England	(1995-09-13) 13 September 1995 (age 29)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break
58	Sam Curran*	England	(1998-06-03) 3 June 1998 (age 27)	Left-handed	Left-arm fast-medium	T20 captain; England central contract
59	Tom Curran*	England	(1995-03-12) 12 March 1995 (age 30)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
74	Mitchell Santner	New Zealand	(1992-02-05) 5 February 1992 (age 33)	Left-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox	Overseas player
88	Jamie Overton*	England	(1994-04-10) 10 April 1994 (age 31)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast
Wicket-keepers
7	Ben Foakes*	England	(1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 32)	Right-handed	—
11	Jamie Smith*	England	(2000-07-12) 12 July 2000 (age 25)	Right-handed	—	England central contract
18	Josh Blake	England	(1998-09-18) 18 September 1998 (age 26)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break
Bowlers
3	Matt Dunn	England	(1992-05-05) 5 May 1992 (age 33)	Left-handed	Right-arm fast
6	Adam Zampa	Australia	(1992-03-31) 31 March 1992 (age 33)	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	Overseas player (T20 only)
8	Daniel Worrall*	Australia	(1991-07-10) 10 July 1991 (age 34)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	UK Passport
15	Matthew Fisher	England	(1997-11-09) 9 November 1997 (age 27)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
24	Reece Topley	England	(1994-02-21) 21 February 1994 (age 31)	Right-handed	Left-arm fast-medium	England central contract
25	James Taylor	England	(2001-01-19) 19 January 2001 (age 24)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
27	Seb Stuart-Reckling	England	(2005-04-18) 18 April 2005 (age 20)	Right-handed	Left-arm fast-medium
29	Nathan Barnwell	England	(2003-02-03) 3 February 2003 (age 22)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium
31	Nathan Smith	New Zealand	(1998-07-15) 15 July 1998 (age 27)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	Overseas player
37	Gus Atkinson*	England	(1998-01-19) 19 January 1998 (age 27)	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	England central contract
60	Sai Kishore	India	(1996-11-06) 6 November 1996 (age 28)	Left-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox	Overseas player
68	Yousef Majid	England	(2003-09-08) 8 September 2003 (age 21)	Left-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox

Club Captains

Surrey has had 41 club captains since 1846. The captain leads the team on the field. The most successful County Championship captain was Stuart Surridge. He won the title every year he was captain, from 1952 to 1956. The current club captain, appointed in 2018, is Rory Burns. Since 2018, the club has also had a separate captain just for Twenty20 matches.

Club Officials

The President is an honorary role, meaning they don't get paid. They are chosen from people who support the club. Famous past presidents include former Prime Minister Sir John Major and newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald. Former players like John Edrich have also been president.

The Chief Executive is in charge of the club's daily operations. Before 1993, this role was called "secretary." The current chief executive is Steve Elworthy, who started in 2021.

Club Honours

Surrey County Cricket Club has won many titles throughout its history.

First Team Honours

• Champion County (3) – 1864, 1887, 1888; shared (1) – 1889
• County Championship (22) – 1890, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1895, 1899, 1914, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1971, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024; shared (1) – 1950
  • Division Two (2) – 2006, 2015
• FP Trophy' (1) –' 1982
• Clydesdale Bank 40 (1) – 2011
• NatWest Pro40 League' (2) –' 1996, 2003
  • Division Two (1) – 2000
• Twenty20 Cup (1) – 2003
• Benson and Hedges Cup (3) – 1974, 1997, 2001

Second Team Honours

• Second XI Championship (6) – 1966, 1968, 1975, 1988, 1992, 2009
• Second XI Trophy (1) – 2001
• Minor Counties Cricket Championship (4) – 1939, 1950, 1954, 1955