A brief history of Sutton CC
Right at the heart of Surrey cricket, Sutton can claim to be among the most forward-looking clubs while celebrating the game’s best traditions.
The foundation year is regarded as being 1857 – based on personal recollections rather than firm evidence – with the first ground in the town near what is now Sutton Common Railway Station, other matches being played down the hill on the Green.
Two locally-based teams combined – one of them already called Sutton CC – in 1864, a stellar year for the game given it marked the foundation of the County Championship and launch of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
Two years later came the first game at Cheam Road, the ground which has been Sutton’s headquarters ever since. Benefactor Sir Edmund Antrobus, whose family’s generosity would make an important contribution in the early days, made a parcel of land available and it was purchased in 1899.
Accommodation was spartan, the old waiting room from Sutton Station serving as an early pavilion. It remains at the ground, appropriately adjacent to the railway line which heads to Wimbledon and opened in 1930.
Initially bordered by a large chalk pit on the Gander Green Lane side, that was filled in by the material extracted from the railway cutting, which meant the playing area could be expanded. Now houses surround on all sides, underlining how the club is an integral part of the community.
Sheep grazed there during the First World War – which cost the lives of 20 members – the action restarting in 1919 after peace had been restored. It said much for the determination of club stalwarts that they continued playing through the Second World War despite an incendiary bomb destroying the pavilion and with it many early records. Building materials were scarce in the years which followed and replacing it would take much effort, just as it did when the new, relatively modern headquarters was opened in 1977. Entertainer Harry Secombe, who lived across Cheam Road, contributed richly to the club’s profile by staging an annual match for many years.
Sutton were in the vanguard when league cricket arrived in 1968, becoming the first winners of the Surrey Championship in that inaugural season. It was a decade of much change in they also hosted a Sunday League match the following summer, Surrey beating Derbyshire by four wickets, led by a half-century from England opener John Edrich.
Three years earlier the club’s single-wicket competition began, which like cricket week has continued well into the 21st century, Sutton combining old and new. Acquiring the second ground in 1986, at Holmwood Close in Cheam, has proved a major advantage over rivals who find it increasingly difficult to find adequate facilities for all their teams given the spiralling cost of land.
Inevitably fortunes have waxed and waned, both on and off the pitch. It would not be until 1991 that the club finished top of the pile again, under the leadership of Henderson Clarke leading the way with 52 wickets aided by John Fry with 815 runs and Nick Clark 45 wickets.
Never out of the top two divisions of the Surrey Championship, Sutton went on to claim two Premier Division titles, in 2006 under former Surrey all-rounder and later highly successful county coach Keith Medlycott who joined the club in 1985 and in 2009 under former Surrey fast bowler Phil Sampson. Those teams included opener Arun Harinath as he rose through Surrey’s ranks, followed a generation later by Jamie Smith – who has gone on to play for England – and Josh Blake.
Amid many changes in the game, Sutton have achieved a sense of continuity, perhaps due to having just nine presidents in the club’s lifetime. And since 1960 alone, just three – Ernest Henderson, Ken Ohlson OBE, MC (1982-2012) and Ian Philippe – have overseen affairs.
The area at the bottom of the ground once occupied by tennis courts now houses artificial nets, which enjoy heavy use throughout each summer.
Making particularly productive use of them is the colt’s section, reinvigorated in the late 1970s by Eaton Swaby. He had moved over from Mitcham – where he was one of the most feared bowlers for many years – and filled his charges with enthusiasm for the game. A garden area next to the pavilion underlines the affection so many felt for him.
Swaby would be proud of the expansion of the colts and doubtless delighted by the progress of the women & girls’ section. It was founded in 2014 and has grown impressively with colt’s chairman Peter Edwards reporting a sharp increase in numbers as the 2025 season got underway.
The youngest members are the key to Sutton remaining one of the strongest clubs in Surrey for many years to come.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At Sutton Cricket Club, we warmly welcome new members of all playing levels, both men and women. Whether you are interested in joining as a player or a social member, we invite you to visit our ‘Join’ page for more information. Alternatively, if you have any queries regarding membership details, please feel free to contact Peter Edwards, our dedicated Cricket Administrator, via email here.
Click here for our latest news.
