Sydenhurst started playing cricket on a country house ground facing Sydenhurst House in Chiddingfold. From the 18th or 19th century right through until the second world war, Sydenhurst played cricket on their own ground at Sydenhurst.
On July 13th 1931, A.E.R. Gilligan immortalised Sydenhurst when he wrote a lengthy and amusing illustrated article on a match at Sydenhurst, for the News Chronicle, the leading Liberal daily of those times.
In the early part of the second world war the ground was ploughed up as part of the Dig for Victory campaign. The wicket was never re-laid, although for several years, the Club retained the option to return to Sydenhurst, by paying a peppercorn rent. Unable to afford the cost of relaying its own wicket, at that time, Sydenhurst was obliged, through the medium of F.T. Gauntlett, for many years a prime mover in local cricketing affairs, to apply to those sides, who used to play at Sydenhurst before the war, for permission to play them "Away". Thus Sydenhurst became Sydenhurst Ramblers and either played their cricket on their opponents' ground or using Brook Cricket Club for home matches. In 1977, the then owner of the Sydenhurst ground was very nearly moved to donate the ground to the Club on the understanding that he too could use it for the occasional cricket match. Unfortunately, the land was sold before negotiations could be completed.
At that time, Sydenhurst Ramblers were a very strong side, with a large and enviable fixture list. In the short period from 1981 to 1984, over a century 's work was dissipated. Since 1984, Sydenhurst has enjoyed a modest revival. The flag has been kept flying and the Club has only lost one match, against the Hampshire Hogs last year - in the last over. Sydenhurst had suffered the fate of many wandering Clubs that do not have a heart. It is very difficult to continue to sustain high standards if one doesn't have a ground and if one doesn't have an income.
This last winter, the present owner of Sydenhurst ground, David Steele was kind enough to entertain sympathetically overtures for the repurchase ground. The ground was valued by Mr. Steele's advisors and by the Club's advisors and both valuations were identical. We have therefore undertaken to purchase the ground, subject to contract, for £40,000 . If everyone who has played cricket or hockey for Sydenhurst since 1960 were to give £50 we would have enough to acquire the ground, lay the wicket and restore the Victorian pavilion. Unfortunately that is not realistic so we have applied to the Waverley District Council and to the National Playing Fields' Association. We've also printed very many more of these Fixture Cards than we normally do and we're sending them to all past and present Ramblers asking them to be as generous as they possibly could in helping us re-acquire our ground. The Sydenhurst Ramblers' Cricket Club current account number is 70520443, at the Clydsdale Bank plc, 52 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW I.
One way or another we will get our ground back and we hope to be playing cricket and hockey in 1988/89 and providing an overflow for Brook Cricket Club who have been so indulgent for.the present half century in allowing us to play our home matches on their ground.