A HISTORY OF SURREY 



and it was no doubt partly through the 

 efforts of A. Plant that the club was started. 



In 1856, when the club was founded, 

 Streatham Common was its ground, and, 

 to show the condition of the ground then it 

 may be said that the first step of the com- 

 mittee was to obtain the sanction of the 

 lords of the manor, then the Dean and 

 Chapter of Canterbury, to enclose a piece 

 of ground against the cattle grazing on the 

 common. This ground, it may be stated, 

 is still in existence, being used by various 

 local clubs under a licence from the London 

 County Council. Sir K. Key, Bart, father 

 of the well-known Surrey captain, K. J. 

 Key, and Mr. F. H. Leaf, father of several 

 sons well-known in University and other 

 prominent cricket circles, took a very active 

 part in the management of the dub at its 

 inception. In those early days the ideas of 

 the members were modest enough, for the 

 fint meeting gave effect to a resolution 

 * that beer should be paid for by members 

 playing on the ground either by the 

 losing side or all round.' An entry of the 

 members of 17 April 1861, has quite a 

 Pickwickian flavour, being nothing less than 

 a resolution to challenge the Dingley Dell 

 Club ! As the result of troubles of various 

 kinds in 1881, it was decided to lease a field 

 in Angles Road, Streatham, as a private 

 ground. 



The present ground was laid by George 

 Hearne, the old Middlesex cricketer. The 

 selection of H. Wood, then professional to 

 the Garrison Club at Dover, as ground 

 man, was a very fortunate one for Surrey, 

 as it enabled the county to obtain by Wood's 

 residential qualification a wicket-keeper who 

 did brilliant service for many years. In 

 1 89 1 the ground was considerably extended 

 by the addition of half the adjoining field, 

 some 150 yards by 45, the pavilion being 

 altered and enlarged at the same time. 

 Eight years later a ladies' pavilion was buUt, 

 to replace the tent which had previously 

 been the only accommodation for ladies. 

 Once, when the Oxford Authentics had 

 declared, leaving Streatham 280 to win in 

 two hours and twenty minutes, the runs were 

 hit off, Mr. N. Miller scoring 181. The 

 following prominent cricketers were all 

 regular players for Streatham a few years 

 ago : the late W. S. Trollope, D. D. Pontifex, 

 C. Morgan, and C. L. Morgan, aU of whom 

 did duty for Surrey in their time ; G. Brown 

 and G. L. Wilson of Sussex, T. Lindley of 

 Notts, R. H. de Montmorency (Oxford 

 University), E. C. Evelyn, N. C. Bartey and 

 E. C. Bambridge. The best of Streatham's 



latter day cricketers have been K. J. Key, 

 the Surrey captain, N. Miller (also of Surrey), 

 the brothers W. G. and N. F. Druce of 

 Cambridge University, E. Field, R. 0. 

 Schwarz (of Middlesex and South Africa), 

 L. Mortimer and W. J. Hancock. 



Though there are indubitable proofs of 

 the existence of the club prior to 1876, the 

 official records of the Surbiton Cricket Club 

 do not go beyond that date. The original 

 ground was in a field on Surbiton Hill, and 

 the first change was in 1883, when a field 

 off Balaclava Road, close to the Railway 

 Embankment, was secured. This formed 

 the headquarters until 1888, when the 

 present ground, then the property of Lord 

 liOvelace, came into possession of the club. 

 A short time ago it was purchased by the 

 Lambeth Water Works, and as the lease under 

 which it is held by Surbiton expired in 1904, 

 there are doubts about its retention as a 

 cricket ground. It is to be hoped that the 

 club's tenancy will not terminate, as, in 

 addition to cricket, football and hockey are 

 played there during the winter, and the 

 sports held under the auspices of the club 

 every Easter are amongst the most popular 

 amateur athletic gatherings. The loss of 

 the ground would be a great blow to local 

 sports of all description. 



The programme of the club has generally 

 been of a high class ; its opponents have in- 

 cluded among others M.C.C. and G., Surrey 

 C. C. and G., Oatlands Park, Upper Tooting, 

 Mote Park, Streatham, Esher, Pallingswick, 

 Marlborough College, Hampton Wick, 

 Thespians, Leatherhead, Kensington Park, 

 Broadwater, Old Wykehamists, Wimbledon, 

 Tonbridge School, Byfleet, Hampstead, Old 

 Cliftonians, Old Carthusians, Teddington, 

 East Molesey and Chiswick Park. Of the 

 many good cricketers Surbiton has put into 

 the field at one time or another the best 

 known are Sydney Castle, who played for 

 Kent, and his brothers ; the late R. P. Sewell 

 and F. C. Francis, both of whom repre- 

 sented Kent ; George Brown of Sussex, 

 H. B. Richardson, F. Fielding, C. A. Trouncer, 

 all of whom played in the Surrey eleven. 

 George Ricketts of Oxford University, H. 

 Davenport, A. R. Holdship, N. C. Cooper 

 of Cambridge University, the three brothers 

 Windeler, Read, C. R. Bailey, A. C. Beaven, 

 who has been Hon. Secretary since October 

 1890, F. H. Bryant, and J. C. E. Hicbon. 

 The captains of the club since 1880 have been 

 R. Howell in 1881-83, 1897 and 1898, J. E. 

 Leslie 1882, G. H. Windeler 1885 to 1894, 

 F. Fielding 1895 to 1897, and J. A. S. Hickson 

 1899 to 1901 inclusive. 



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