Following the announcement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) this morning, MCC is thrilled to be welcoming cricket to Lord’s this summer, initially with the Vitality Blast tournament before hosting the final of the Bob Willis Trophy.
The on-field action will return to the Home of Cricket on Saturday 29 August when Middlesex will take on Kent Spitfires in the first of five home matches in the Vitality Blast.Their next four South Group matches will follow on 1, 3, 12 and 14 September at Lord’s as they make their bid to reach Finals Day, which will be held at Edgbaston on 3 October.
Lord’s will then play host to the showpiece final of the Bob Willis Trophy, the ECB’s first-class four-day competition which began earlier this month. The 18 counties have been split into three regional groups this year and the top two performing teams will play a one-off, five-day final at Lord’s between 23 and 27 September for the right to be crowned champions.As per the group stages of the Bob Willis Trophy, the final will be played behind closed doors without spectators, however MCC are currently in the process of confirming plans for the match to be live streamed via the Lord’s website.
"Bob was one of cricket's great characters and had a huge impact on the game"
Guy Lavender, Chief Executive & Secretary of MCC said: “It is fantastic that we are able to return to hosting cricket at Lord's after a long absence. Our staff have worked hard to ensure that we can welcome the teams and support staff back to the Home of Cricket safely.
"We are looking forward to hosting Middlesex’s home Vitality Blast matches and are thrilled to be supporting these fixtures. Of course it would be great to welcome full houses through the gates as we normally do for T20 matches, but with that not possible, it is great that these matches will be live streamed.
"We've already seen some fantastic cricket played in the early rounds of the Bob Willis Trophy and it is fitting that the culmination of this tournament will be at Lord's.
"Bob was one of cricket's great characters and had a huge impact on the game. A competition such as this bearing his name is entirely appropriate following his sad passing, and we are very much looking forward to a competitive final.”
As well as fixtures for the Vitality Blast and confirmation of the Bob Willis Trophy Final, this morning’s announcement from the ECB also included the fixtures for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, which is this summer’s women’s domestic 50-over competition and begins at the end of the month.
There are eight newly-formed regions of the women’s elite domestic structure in the competition, and both MCC and Middlesex are represented by the Sunrisers.
Saturday 29 August v Kent Spitfires (2pm)
Tuesday 1 September v Sussex Sharks (6:15pm)
Thursday 3 September v Essex Eagles (6:15pm)
Saturday 12 September v Hampshire (2pm)
Monday 14 September v Surrey (6:15pm)
Wednesday 23 – Sunday 27 September (10.30am)
All start times are currently TBC.
All five matches at Lord’s in the Vitality Blast will also take place without crowds, but will be streamed live online. Follow @HomeOfCricket on social media for updates.