Surrey CCC, along with their friends at Kia, invited students from the Club’s Sixth Form Cricket Programme to take in the ‘Sustainabili-T20’ against Hampshire Hawks from Kia’s ‘Best Seats in the House’.
Launched in early 2023, the programme partners with state schools across Surrey and south London and offers young people access to high-quality cricket coaching as well as strength and conditioning training while completing their sixth-form academic studies.
The ‘Sustainabili-T20’ match was Surrey’s first-ever sustainability-focussed fixture. The game was part of the Club’s ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving the ambitious goal of reaching Net Zero by 2030. With 27 fours and 14 sixes struck throughout the game, Surrey will be planting six trees for each maximum and four trees for every boundary, meaning 192 trees will be planted to support the environment.
Another element of the game was to educate staff and spectators on how they can reduce their own carbon footprint. A host of activities, supported by SSE Energy Solutions and initiatives like Bee Urban, took place around the ground during the match, engaging the audience about how to make more sustainable choices in everyday life.
The group of sixth form students – who enjoyed a pitch-side view of Sam Curran’s maiden T20 century, sitting on a cosy sofa whilst refreshing drinks and food were served to their seats – also tried their hand at an insightful sustainability quiz during the innings break.
Watching the Vitality Blast from Kia’s Best Seats in the House is a “pretty good experience” says KK, who is one of the beneficiaries of Surrey’s Sixth Form Programme. “The programme has been really good and exciting, and we’ve had loads of opportunities like getting to play against Worcestershire University just two weeks ago,” he continues.
Ilse, who is also enrolled in the Programme, adds: “It was exciting when I first found out [about the seats]. I have been looking forward to it for a while… there’s always a good atmosphere here at the Oval.”
Ilse “loves watching cricket” and has travelled to different parts of the world with her dad to follow the sport. “I like T20 cricket but my dad and I go to test matches all the time!”
PROUD SURREY T20
On Friday 12 July, The Kia Oval welcomed a group of people who joined the Club’s first LGBTQ+ cricket taster session a few weeks ago, to watch the Proud Surrey T20 against Middlesex from Kia’s ‘Best Seats in the House’.
At the end of April, in partnership with Out4Cricket, the Club opened its doors for a free-of-cost, cricket taster session in the Ken Barrington Indoor Centre for the LGTBQ+ community. The evening received a brilliant response, with people travelling from south London and further to join in the session.
To welcome the group back as well as celebrate the Pride game at The Kia Oval, Surrey and Kia surprised six lucky winners, who were selected at random by Out4Cricket.
Surrey’s third, annual Pride fixture celebrated ‘Proud Surrey’, the Club’s official LGBTQ+ supporters group as well as supported LGBTHero and Tonic – two charities who work for the LGBTQ+ community.
Vauxhall is home to one of the largest LGTBQ+ communities in the country and the Club is committed to supporting that community that continues to suffer discrimination. The aim of the fixture has been to show that the Kia Oval, Surrey CCC and the game in general, is open, welcoming and inclusive to all people.
