Double Headers

31 In the end, four Second Eleven matches in 1910 were played at The Oval, with one at each of Horley, Guildford, and Merton – and Reigate. But Reigate was dropped from the Second Eleven fixture list for 1911 when the county decided on financial grounds to reduce its programme of Second Eleven matches, leaving Merton and Horley as the only out-grounds used in that year. From 1912 all home Second Eleven matches were once again played at The Oval, and apart from single matches at Richmond in 1923 and at Guildford in 1931 and 1934, that remained the case until these fixtures once again started being spread around the county in 1948. After the Minor Counties match against Hertfordshire in August 1910, it was over 50 years before the Reigate Priory ground was used again by Surrey CCC. They eventually returned there 1962 for a Second Eleven fixture against Sussex II, as they also did in 1964 and 1965. The ground then once again fell out of favour, and was not used by Surrey again until 2006, since when one Second Eleven Championship match was arranged at the ground in each year to 2012, together with one match in the Second Eleven Trophy competition in 2006 and another (unfortunately abandoned without a ball bowled) in 2012. We should also look briefly at the other issue which led to Surrey’s double- header in 1909 – fixture pressures on The Oval. There were no first-class tourists visiting England in 1910, and so the pressures that had been experienced on the ground the previous year were eased. As a result, Surrey were able to continue their series of home matches against Oxford University, as well as maintaining their full set of home and away fixtures against all the other counties - in both cases, without leaving The Oval for the home games. There was also room in the fixture list to play both Universities in away matches. In 1911 the non-Test tour by All-India again meant that The Oval was not in demand to the same extent as in 1909. This time it was Cambridge’s turn to play at The Oval, and once again Surrey were able to play all the Surrey in 1909 Surrey still return to Reigate Priory CC for occasional Second Eleven matches. Here they are batting against Somerset II in a Second Eleven Championship match in May 2012.