The London Cup will be back at The Kia Oval next month, with Surrey welcoming Middlesex to Kennington on the evening of 11 June.
The Three Feathers will be aiming to defend their crown, which they reclaimed at the same ground in 2022. Unfortunately, last year’s game at Lord’s had to be called off due to rainy weather.
This will be the tenth edition of the London Cup, an annual T20 trophy between Surrey and Middlesex that was initiated in 2015 by Surrey legend and then Director of Women’s Cricket, Ebony Rainford-Brent. The inaugural game was played at The Kia Oval, where Middlesex clinched a victory over the hosts.
A then 17-year-old Bryony Smith, who scored an impressive 34 not out in that game, says playing in the first-ever London Cup was “one of my best memories at The Oval.” She adds: “It was a big moment for the domestic women’s game… we had a decent crowd in and was a pretty close game in the end!”
Since then, the competition has been held at The Kia Oval on three more occasions, with the latest being in 2022 – the year when Surrey won back the Cup, convincingly defeating their London rivals by nine wickets with 11 overs to spare.
Asked to bowl first that day, Surrey put in a dominant display in the field, limiting Middlesex to merely 68 all out, with England international Alice Capsey (3/6) starring with the ball.
The batters then knocked down the target with great ease as openers Smith and Kira Chathli took Surrey to the brink of victory before Capsey arrived and completed the job with her captain. Check out below the highlights from the game.
