Opinions on my 1st visit to The Oval since covid....

Having paid for membership last year and not ending up going to the Oval I decided to give up my membership. So on Friday I went and watched a thoroughly entertaining days cricket.

I do however have some observations of the experience.

1/ What a faff it is buying a day ticket. I had to queue (queuing is fine!), to speak to a man behind a screen in his office. Then he needed my name and email address. Blooming pointless. Just ask me for twenty quid and give me a ticket.

2/ I drink lager. I bought a couple of pints and was horrified that I was charged a stonking £7-60 for each pint. On top of that it was a putrid beer beginning with P. If Surrey are going to charge huge prices (Ive never paid more anywhere) for their beer it should at least be what people want. A Fosters, Amstel, Carling, something the majority of lager drinkers enjoy.

3/ Ice Creams.  A Cornetto was £6-00...yes £6-00.  On Ocado I can buy 6 Cornetto's for £3-20..53p each.

4/ Club shop. It hardly had anything in it. The replica shirts  at £55-00 each looked very flimsy and the badges on them are stickers. Very poor form. Barely much choice of other Surrey merchandise. I think may be 6 different books, a key ring, beer glass, coffee mug and a very useful covid mask. What a pathetic effort Surrey.

5/ Who ever designed that new stand needs to fired. Am I the first to notice that it doesnt face towards the pitch!!!!!!!

So the cricket is great but by crikey they have some work to make it a more appealing experience. I suppose they just know people will turn up for the cricket so fleecing them is the name of the game.

Winston - take your own booze, there's even an offy by Oval tube if you don't want to carry from home. One of the best things about going for me is taking a very nice bottle of red wine far better than the dross any bar will serve.

The shop is a curates egg. The fleeces/top are dreadful. but this year they actually have a decent range of hats, both caps and wide brimmed cricket hats. Even better unlike the ones last year that only came in XXXXXXXXL there was a range of sizes.

Howzat wrote:Winston - take your own booze, there's even an offy by Oval tube if you don't want to carry from home. One of the best things about going for me is taking a very nice bottle of red wine far better than the dross any bar will serve.

The shop is a curates egg. The fleeces/top are dreadful. but this year they actually have a decent range of hats, both caps and wide brimmed cricket hats. Even better unlike the ones last year that only came in XXXXXXXXL there was a range of sizes.

Either the shop assumed that Surrey supporters are bigheads (surely not?) or it's like the M&S mens' sale where only XXS and XXXL are usually available, because they are the ones which never got sold.

I don't think I have ever bought food or drink at Lord's or The Oval. I do my own or get a meal deal somewhere on the way. I did go for the hog roast at Radlett on the basis that it is important that the outground matches make some money for the county, either from the grub or (more likely) the rental. If I buy something hugely overpriced at Lord's. MCCC gets naff all out of it.

£7.60 for a not very good beer, even £6.00 in the Pavilion plus £6.00 for a Cornetto! Blimey no wonder people bring their own or go to the Cafe where you can get a nice  cooked lunch for around £7.00. It's a colossal rip off. I understand they do a "budget" lunch for £ 30.00 in the new restaurant!

On the Oval website. It states "Kia Oval reserves the right to Refuse admission to any person attempting to carry out or transport alcohol into the Ground"

This reservation includes all cat A games being Internationals, T20 and The Hundred. It also includes cat B games, The championship and Royal London Cup.

The ban even includes cans of coke. For Surrey its money fleecing all the way.

Winston - Thank god your name sake was more thorough or we never would have won the war!

4 day County games and 50 over one day games you can bring 4 cans or one bottle of wine as they are Cat B - see link https://www.kiaoval.com/surrey-vs-middlesex-match-day-information/
All international, 100 and T20 you can't bring any as they are Cat A.

And they don't search for Cat B so most bring what they want - I once saw a stag party turn up with a sack barrow and 3 cases of cans!

Does anyone think I could get a table and chairs on the outfield behind the boundary rope, for a barbecue while we watch the cricket?

Sir Winston Churchill wrote:On the Oval website. It states "Kia Oval reserves the right to Refuse admission to any person attempting to carry out or transport alcohol into the Ground"

This reservation includes all cat A games being Internationals, T20 and The Hundred. It also includes cat B games, The championship and Royal London Cup.

The ban even includes cans of coke. For Surrey its money fleecing all the way.

The pubs are open until midnight and beyond.Can't you manage without a drink until 6.30 ish FFS?

Chinaman wrote:£7.60 for a not very good beer, even £6.00 in the Pavilion plus £6.00 for a Cornetto! Blimey no wonder people bring their own or go to the Cafe where you can get a nice  cooked lunch for around £7.00. It's a colossal rip off. I understand they do a "budget" lunch for £ 30.00 in the new restaurant!

My Wife and i had lunch there with another couple  at the Middlesex game.35 quid a head.3 courses.A pigeon would turn his nose up at the starter it was barely a mouthful.The "afters" in my case Eton Mess,was tiny as well.That made it  35 quid for fish with half a dozen chips hidden underneath.A mere 167 sovs including a bottle of wine.

Goodness me. Some peoples attitude. For some of us our idea of a magnificent day out is watching Surrey batting (and winning a game) at the Oval on a beautiful sunny day, accompanied by a few very cold beers. YES I can go to a pub after, but as is my want I also enjoy a pint whilst witnessing Atkinson tonking it all over the park..

Badges wrote:

Chinaman wrote:£7.60 for a not very good beer, even £6.00 in the Pavilion plus £6.00 for a Cornetto! Blimey no wonder people bring their own or go to the Cafe where you can get a nice  cooked lunch for around £7.00. It's a colossal rip off. I understand they do a "budget" lunch for £ 30.00 in the new restaurant!

My Wife and i had lunch there with another couple  at the Middlesex game.35 quid a head.3 courses.A pigeon would turn his nose up at the starter it was barely a mouthful.The "afters" in my case Eton Mess,was tiny as well.That made it  35 quid for fish with half a dozen chips hidden underneath.A mere 167 sovs including a bottle of wine.

I ate there with a couple of friends on Saturday and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

So did we but it is still a stitch up.

I don't personally care about the price of beer or the value of food at the 175 suite. I do find it annoying that there is nowhere to buy a tea or coffee at the Vauxhall end. Surely they can justify opening something up given how many people sit down there.

Jackers wrote:I don't personally care about the price of beer or the value of food at the 175 suite. I do find it annoying that there is nowhere to buy a tea or coffee at the Vauxhall end. Surely they can justify opening something up given how many people sit down there.

Yes. The only place open is a pizza joint at £12 a slice. Even the nice albeit expensive pie shop is never open.There used to be a place in the concourse for drinks but the concourse is never open. You have to go to the Pav if you want a tea or coffee. Last week when the pitch was on the Harlyford Road side you had to walk about a quarter of a mile for the loo because all the entrances were shut. It's not a problem for me but it might be for many members. And when you get to the loo taps were brocken, there was no soap and they were not particularly clean. Maybe they should have designated seats with built in commodes!
For a rich well managed club they are continually poor in getting many of the basics right as is being pointed out on this thread. Despite many survey's these relatively small but important things don't improve. Other grounds are far better, even old ones like Scarborough.

I went to the pav to get a couple of teas and then held up the queue leaving by having to faff around getting my membership card out to tap out. Wonder if they'll operate that in the test matches.

The best place to eat is the 100 bar, where you can get a decent meal for a tenner and is the only place where you can buy vegetarian. However, I take my own food.

I think they sell Surrey Hills beer in the long room, which is Champion beer of Britain or was. Not the best decision camra ever made. Not sure how much though.

For coffee/tea they've sporadically had Change Please have a stall around the members pavilion - an excellent charity and good coffee to boot. Only frustrating thing is knowing when they will and won't be there...

Longshanks wrote:I went to the pav to get a couple of teas and then held up the queue leaving by having to faff around getting my membership card out to tap out. Wonder if they'll operate that in the test matches

This was raised at the AGM and Elworthy was very strong about the management of people in/out of the members' areas due to concerns over over-capacity and plebs wandering in on the same card, etc.

Sir Winston Churchill wrote:Then he needed my name and email address. Blooming pointless. Just ask me for twenty quid and give me a ticket.

Also raised at the AGM.

This is because Surrey have HUGELY jumped the gun on a proposal called "Martyn's Law", named after one of the Manchester Arena victims. Surrey's view of this - presumably which has come from the security officer - is that the legislation will require all attendees to be named, hence the guest voucher changes and contact details for ticketholders.

However, I say "hugely jumped the gun" because not only did Surrey's changes come in in (early) 2022 but the legislation has only reached draft Bill stage - literally this month! - and hasn't even had a first reading in the House yet. It will no doubt require significant amounts of Parliamentary time, and although I am a caseworker, not a lawyer, I cannot find anything in the draft Bill (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1154100/Terrorism__Protection_of_Premises__Draft_Bill_-_Command_Paper.pdf) which suggests that attendees must be named.

As a timeframe I do not expect the Bill to finish its Parliamentary stages until at least early 2024 and therefore may not come into force until our 2025 season.

Longshanks wrote:I think they sell Surrey Hills beer in the long room, which is Champion beer of Britain or was. Not the best decision camra ever made. Not sure how much though.

Yes, usually - until it runs out - there's Surrey Hills' Shere Drop available from the Long Room. I like it and, in my experience, it's well kept.