Cricket at the picturesque setting of Whitgift School, with the spire of St Peter's, South Croydon in the background

Cricket fans in Croydon are outraged at being charged up to 40 per cent more than standard prices for Surrey’s Twenty20 fixture to be staged at Whitgift School next month.

The match between Surrey and Sussex on the evening of Monday, July 4, is the first Twenty20 match to be staged at the Croydon venue, and will be televised live by Sky Sports.

The event is expected to be a sell-out: Surrey’s Croydon Festival earlier in May saw crowds of almost 3,000 turn out for all four days of a county championship fixture against Essex and a Sunday league match. All-day entry for games that featured three of England’s Ashes-winning heroes, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Tremlett and Alastair Cook, were just £10 for adults.

Expecting a big turnout for the three-hour evening match, with its tight boundaries in the school grounds alongside the Brighton Road, T20 tickets at Whitgift are £25 for adults or £12.50 for concessions.

Yet when Surrey stages similar T20 matches at The Oval, ticket prices are just £20 and £7.50.

“Matches at Whitgift are very popular, but it looks like they are trying to make extra cash out of local fans,” one disgruntled Surrey member said.

“We had to apply for a ticket ourselves, despite the fact it should have automatically come in our membership, but there are limited tickets for members. I got mine, but we are not allowed guests for that game, despite being allowed one guest for T20 matches at The Oval.”

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