A new chapter of women’s domestic cricket will begin tomorrow when Surrey’s first fully professional team takes the field to go up against Somerset in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Alongside the 50-over competition, Bryony Smith’s Surrey will be competing in the Vitality Blast and the FA Cup-style Vitality T20 Cup this summer. “We’re looking to get some silverware, hopefully three. We have three opportunities this year… we got so close last year [with South East Stars] that it hurt, and we know we don’t want to let that happen again,” the skipper lays down the team’s ambitions in their first year as the Three Feathers.
Ever since starting as a Tier One outfit on 1 November 2024, the preparations have been in full swing to get ready for the inaugural season. An extremely productive winter saw the group kick things off by travelling to the Lake District for an intensive fitness and team-building camp. 2025 started with outdoor training in the marquee at the Kia Oval before the squad headed to Abu Dhabi to get some match practice under their belt, while six players joined up with England A down under.
“We’ve had a really busy winter from November. It’s been really good. We’ve had lots of support from the club,” says Smith. “We’re in a good place. We’re very clear on how we want to play and are looking forward to getting out on the pitch.”
“It has been terrific,” adds Head Coach Johann Myburgh, “The staff at Surrey have been really welcoming to us as a group and it certainly made our winter a lot easier to focus purely on the cricket.”
Amidst the drastic changes off the pitch, having a sense of stability on the field has been a key theme for the leadership at Surrey, with 19 of the 23-strong squad continuing from South East Stars to the Three Feathers.
Four new players to join the group include England’s all-time WIT20 top-scorer Danni Wyatt-Hodge and exciting allrounder Alice Monaghan. Grace Harris, an explosive batting allrounder from Australia, will feature during the Vitality Blast, whilst promising Irish wicketkeeper Amy Hunter is available for the opening block of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Explaining the importance of having a steady squad, Smith shares, “We obviously had four years as the Stars, and we haven’t had too much change, which is really good for us because we know everyone’s on the same wavelength in terms of how we want to play. And it also helps that we’re a very tight group… we trust each other a lot on the pitch.”
While appreciating the feeling of familiarity in the squad, the group is, at the same time, excited by the direction women’s cricket is headed in and embracing life in the Three Feathers. “If you ask anyone in the group, they’ll say it’s a privilege to be a part of this club. It’s a club full of history,” says Myburgh. “We’re set on wearing the three feathers with pride. We worked a lot in the winter to understand what it means to be Surrey without losing the way we want to play our cricket.
“There’s a lot of stability within the group in terms of how we want to be perceived by our fans, Members, and supporters, but we also understand that this club has been there for many years before us, and it’s going to be there for many years, so we need to respect the history and get an understanding of what it means to be representing Surrey… because we want to do that proudly,” declares the head coach.
Echoing the thoughts of her coach, England international Sophia Dunkley adds, “It is really special to be part of such a historic club. We’ve got some amazing facilities here, really good support, and to come into work at the Oval every day is something that you dream of when you’re growing up.”
“I think everyone’s just really excited to get going this season and come together as Surrey, and hopefully start the season strong,” the 26-year-old batter continues. “What I’m really looking forward to is just play being able to play at big stadiums around the country, hopefully getting more supporters in to watch our games, bit more awareness, and a great stage for some of the younger girls coming through to get that opportunity to show what they can do, which I think is going to be really special.”
Surrey’s first fully professional women’s team are starting their inaugural season tomorrow against Somerset at Beckenham. Tickets to the match are free and can be registered for here.
The Three Feathers will be in action at the Kia Oval for all seven of their home fixtures, and tickets can be purchased at an early bird price here.
