Warwickshire County Cricket Club men’s team will start the 2020 county season at home to Northamptonshire on Saturday 1 August.
Playing in the Central group of the Bob Willis Trophy – a five-game red-ball tournament which replaces the County Championship in this revised season – the Bears will also face Somerset at home and travel to Gloucestershire, local rivals Worcestershire and Glamorgan.
Bob Willis Trophy Fixtures
1-4 August – Warwickshire vs Northamptonshire, Edgbaston
8-11 August – Gloucestershire vs Warwickshire, Bristol
15-18 August – Warwickshire vs Somerset, Edgbaston
22-25 August – Worcestershire vs Warwickshire, Blackfinch New Road
6-9 September – Glamorgan vs Warwickshire, Sophia Gardens
The 18 counties are split across three groups in the Bob Willis Trophy with the two group winners with the most points set to progress to a five-day final
“It’s good to start at home and although three of our games are away, one is at Worcester and we always travel there each year,” said First Team Coach Jim Troughton. “We’re just really looking forward to every minute of every match.
“We have had a great three and a half weeks training. The guys have very diligent in what they have needed to do, the club has organised everything perfectly and the ground staff have been magnificent, as always. The players are as well-prepared as can be.”
The playing conditions have been put in place following extensive medical research and in collaboration with the First-Class Counties and the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and include:
- A reduction from a minimum of 96 overs to a minimum of 90 overs in a day’s play.
- Each county’s first innings of a match can last no longer than 120 overs
- The follow-on will increase from 150 to 200 runs
- The new ball will be available after 90 overs rather than 80 overs
Throughout the 2020 season, Warwickshire Members and supporters will be able to watch all Bob Willis Trophy matches and Vitality Blast games at Edgbaston – and hopefully all away fixtures – through an enhanced live stream, which will be available to watch on edgbaston.com.
To watch the live stream, all Members and supporters will just need to register their email address in the match centre on edgbaston.com, with the game featuring the live commentary the team at BBC WM and BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.
With fixtures in the Bob Willis Trophy confirmed and the full programme of Vitality Blast games set to be announced in the first two weeks of August, Warwickshire CCC will be outlining its options for 2020 Members from next week.
Chairman Mark McCafferty will take Members through the options via Zoom at 6pm on Wednesday 29 July, with details released at edgbaston.com and letters expected to land at Member households from the following day. Registration for the Zoom with Mark McCafferty will open early next week.
Fixtures for the women’s domestic competition are set to be announced alongside confirmation of the full schedule for the Vitality Blast next month. The Vitality Blast will commence on 27 August.
