COUNTIES CRICKET Showcase dates for your diary
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- Created on Thursday, 24 April 2025 01:48
- Last Updated on Thursday, 24 April 2025 04:55
- Published on Thursday, 24 April 2025 01:48
- Written by PAUL BOLTON Cricket Correspondent
The two matches will help both Staffordshire and Leicestershire to prepare for their respective forthcoming T20 campaigns and continue close links between the counties following previous meetings at Knypersley in 2022 and 2023.
Staffordshire beat Leicestershire in the second of those matches but Leicestershire bounced back to go on and win the Metro Bank Cup.
Last season Leicestershire were beaten by three wickets by Buckinghamshire on home soil which was one of three victories for National Counties sides with Cheshire beating Derbyshire by four wickets at Nantwich and Lincolnshire chasing down 332 to beat Nottinghamshire by five wickets at Lincoln.
Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire will meet again this season in another 50 overs contest this time at Cleethorpes on July 14. As well as being a regular home venue by Lincolnshire the Chichester Road ground also hosted Nottinghamshire for four first-class and five List A matches between 1980 and 2004.
Derbyshire will head to Dunstable for a 50 overs match against Bedfordshire, who gave Kent a fright there last summer, on July 27.
Buckinghamshire head to Wantage Road on the same day to face Northamptonshire in a 40 overs match and may come up against two of their own products, batters Saif Zaib and Aadi Sharma, who have graduated from the National Counties to the first-class ranks.
Somerset will maintain their close links with Devon and Cornwall by playing a Showcase match against each. Devon are first up for a T20 match at Exmouth on May 15 followed by a 50 overs contest against Cornwall at Wadebridge on August 4.
Glamorgan began their Metro Bank Cup-winning campaign last year with a seven wickets win over Wiltshire at Swindon. The counties will return to the County Ground on May 30, this time for a T20 match.
Norfolk, who begin their defence of the National Counties Trophy this weekend, host Kent in a 50 overs match at Sprowston on August 4 with Herefordshire facing neighbours Worcestershire at Eastnor the next day.
Vitality Blast holders Gloucestershire will play two T20 matches against Wales NC at Usk on June 3 having benefited from playing Herefordshire in a similar format last summer.
Oxfordshire host Surrey at Thame on May 26 and Berkshire travel to Hove to face Sussex under floodlights on May 27 also in T20 affairs.
Showcase Matches (confirmed fixtures)
May 9: Leicestershire v Staffordshire at Leicester (2xT20)
May 15: Devon v Somerset at Exmouth (T20)
May 26: Oxfordshire v Surrey at Thame (T20)
May 27: Sussex v Berkshire at Hove (T20)
May 30: Wiltshire v Glamorgan at Swindon (T20)
June 3: Wales NC v Gloucestershire at Usk (2xT20)
July 14: Lincolnshire v Nottinghamshire at Cleethorpes (50 overs)
July 27: Northants v Bucks at Northampton (40 overs)
Bedfordshire v Derbyshire at Dunstable (50 overs)
August 4: Norfolk v Kent at Sprowston (50 overs)
August 4: Cornwall v Somerset at Wadebridge (50 overs)
August 5: Herefordshire v Worcestershire at Eastnor (50 overs)
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