Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century, but Surrey's involvement in

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.

17th century

Cricket became established in Surrey during the 17th century and the earliest village matches took place before the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. It is believed that the earliest county teams were formed in the aftermath of the Restoration in 1660.

18th century

The first recorded inter-county match took place in 1709 between

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and Surrey. Surrey teams held first-class status throughout the 18th century, depending on the quality of their opponents, largely due to the

Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest cricket clubs in England, the foundation of the club dating to the 1730s. The club is based in Chertsey and plays in the Surrey Championship. Three known matches were played in 1736, one agai ...

and famous patrons such as Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville. Noted Surrey players included

Lumpy Stevens Edward "Lumpy" Stevens (1735 – 7 September 1819) was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket in the 18th century. He was an outstanding bowler who is generally regarded as the first great bowler in the game's his ...

, William Yalden and Billy Beldham.

19th century

The present Surrey County Cricket Club was formed at a meeting which took place at the Horns Tavern in Kennington following a match between Gentlemen of Surrey and Players of Surrey at

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

(in its initial season as a cricket ground) on 21 & 22 August 1845. The earliest important match at The Oval was Surrey Club v

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

(MCC) on 25 & 26 May 1846. Only 194 runs were scored in the match with a top score of 13. W. R. Hillyer took 14 wickets to help MCC win by 48 runs. Surrey County Cricket Club played its first important match v

at The Oval on 25 & 26 June 1846, winning by 10 wickets. ''For the history of Surrey cricket since the foundation of the county club, see : Surrey County Cricket Club''.

References

External links

Chertsey Cricket Club website
{{English cricket teams in the 18th century History of Surrey English cricket teams in the 18th century English cricket in the 19th century Former senior cricket clubs Cricket in Surrey Cricket teams in London