Bears ‘home’ clash at Pears

The Bears have agreed to play their Division One fixture with Essex at New Road, Worcester, starting on July 13, due to a clash with the World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston.

The club said they had looked at using an out ground within the county, but with Edgbaston hosting the second semi-final on Thursday July 11 and the reserve day scheduled for Friday July 12 – the ground staff will be required at Edgbaston and not available to assist in the running of a first-class match at an out ground in Warwickshire.

The club also considered using the Edgbaston Community Sports Ground, Portland Road, but the ground at present is not currently capable of hosting first-class cricket.

Therefore, the decision was made to choose a nearby first-class venue with Blackfinch New Road being the most suitable.

Warwickshire chief executive Neil Snowball said: “We know that Blackfinch New Road is always a very popular venue for cricket fans and after plenty of discussion and consideration, we believe that this is our best option for this important fixture.

“We are also mindful of the fact that our members always enjoy their visits to Worcester and so this chance to play a four-day County Championship match at Blackfinch New Road will hopefully be well received.”

Members from both Warwickshire CCC and Essex CCC, as well as Worcestershire CCC, will be able to use the Blackfinch New Road facilities during the fixture free of charge and further details on pricing for non-members are to be announced.