The 1887 English cricket season saw Surrey established as the leading county for the first time in over twenty years, a place they would retain until 1892.
The driest English cricket season since 1870, combined with improvements to pitches from the heavy roller, allowed for a large number of notable batting feats:
a An unofficial seasonal title sometimes proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted. Although there are ante-dated claims prior to 1873, when residence qualifications were introduced, it is only since that ruling that any quasi-official status can be ascribed.
b The 1887 season saw an unofficial point system of 1 point for a win and 0.5 points for a draw devised by the "Cricket Reporting Agency"