The Surrey Cricketers, Croydon

The Surrey Cricketers is a traditional wedge shaped back street corner boozer just off the South End of Croydon High Street. The interior consists of the main bar area that houses a small stage at the wedge end where live music is performed every Saturday evening. On the back wall of the stage is a large plasma screen which compliments a second screen which is found in a small serving area to the left of the pub. To the far left is an area that houses a pool table and a dartboard. The traditional pub feel is added to by pots, pans and jugs that hang from the ceiling beams throughout the pub. My visit was on a recent Wednesday afternoon when I found myself to be the only customer. One of the plasma screens was off and muted Sky Sports News was on the other. Some background music was playing at a reasonable volume. The bar was stocked with standard draught products and two banks of three hand pumps were drawing Sharp’s Doom Bar, Harvey’s Best and Young’s Ordinary. I didn’t see any hot food advertised, but premade rolls were available from the bar at £1.50 a pop. I found this pub to be a solid boozer that was being run by a friendly woman who I took to be the landlady. I would have no problem returning here.

One of a number of traditional, back street, corner pubs in this part of Croydon, the Surrey Cricketers is an interesting, wedge-shaped pub close to the High Street and the Croydon Flyover. The pub has a pleasant traditional interior with some nice wood panelling and beams, a typical pub carpet, frosted windows and a sizeable collection of mugs, tankards, pans and the like suspended from the ceiling. Some padded pews line the 'thin end of the wedge' whilst regular seating is provided in the rest of the area in front of the bar. A side room houses a pool table and dartboard. There were a couple of pumps in operation, giving a choice of Harvey's or Courage Best. I had a pint of Harvey's at £3.00 which was in reasonable enough condition. The pub doesn't appear to have a menu, but there were signs that food had been laid on for the regulars on my Sunday afternoon visit, as I spotted bowls of roast potatoes on the bar counter. Two large plasma screens were showing football, which seemed to be the focal point for the fairly large crowd of people in the main room. The locals seemed friendly enough and the staff were quick to serve, if not exactly the most welcoming. A decent enough pub, but if I was looking for a quiet pint on this part of town, I'd still pick the Royal Standard every time. Worth a quick look though.

Busier than most nearby when I visited but not a great experience. A typical case of the name defining the clientele. It was a bit like being in the Beehive during a Test Match, full of loud, pretentious drunks. Beer was OK but I drunk it quickly and left.