Big-hitters Surrey put £1.6m on profits scoreboard with T20

Hiring out its Oval stadium as a conference venue, boosting the membership and a huge surge in T20 ticket sales helped Surrey County Cricket Club smash its financial results for six today.

The cricket club posted a pre-tax profit of £1.6 million for the 2016/17 year, its highest ever for a year when it did not host an Ashes test.

The lucre of that England versus Australia match meant the previous year’s profit was £3.1 million.

But Surrey pointed out that last year’s financial scorecard was lifted by record demand to watch NatWest T20 Blast matches at its 25,000-capacity Oval as well as diversifying into hosting a wider range of corporate conferences and charity events.

They brought in £4.5 million last year, up from just £1.5 million four years ago.

Increased membership for a fourth consecutive year also helped fill Surrey’s coffers. It has more than 10,000 members, and Surrey has six games in the Champions Trophy this year, plus Blast matches against Middlesex and Kent expected to sell out.

Chairman Richard Thompson said the figures were “the best financial result in the club’s 172-year history”. He added: “For too long, our revenues were overly reliant on the demand for international cricket.”