This season, Surrey CCC are celebrating 180 years since the founding of the Club in 1845.
The Club will be holding celebratory events throughout the year including a dedicated County Championship fixture.
As part of the commemoration, renowned historian – and host of the global podcast phenomenon ‘The Rest is History’ – Tom Holland has discussed some of the greatest moments and players who have graced the ground.
Tom also co-hosted a podcast series for the Club last year, ‘Tales from The Oval’, where the story of The Kennington Oval and Surrey CCC is told across eleven fascinating episodes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Spotify and here to listen or watch on YouTube.
Kennington Oval has been the home of Surrey since 1845, when a lease was secured from the Duchy of Cornwall.
After an initial meeting on 18 August proposed the founding of the Club, the formalities were completed on 18 October at the Horns Tavern – a glorious Victorian tavern a stone’s throw from the ground at Kennington Road. The building sadly no longer exists, with the land now occupied by a Nisa Local convenience shop and the Kennington Park Job Centre.
Over the years, the Club has seen remarkable success, winning trophies and producing some of the greatest players to play the game. In the 1950s, Surrey won seven consecutive County Championship titles – one of the most dominant periods of success in sport, anywhere in the world.
The Kia Oval has seen some of the most historic moments in cricket, including being the famous birthplace of the Ashes in 1882. Some of the greatest players in the game have made their final bow in south London, including Sir Don Bradman, Sir Viv Richards and more recently Sir Alastair Cook.
The ground has also seen some of the great moments in British sport, hosting the first ever FA Cup Final, the England’s football team’s first ever goal, the first ever floodlit sports event in the UK, as well as the first rugby union international between England and Scotland held on English soil.
If you’re interested in reading more about the history of the Club and ground, please keep an eye for the announcements of more events over the course of the year.
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