Shropshire County Cricket Club is looking forward to returning to both Wellington and Wem to play matches next season after finalising fixtures and home venues for the National Counties Cricket Association 2020 campaign.
Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Shifnal, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch will once again host county matches across the different formats, with Wrekin College also staging two pre-season friendlies and the club’s annual Pure Telecom hospitality day.
Shropshire secretary Richard Lees said: “We are really pleased that both Wellington and Wem have agreed to host matches. We are looking forward to visiting both clubs.
“It’s really good news that so many different clubs and venues around the county will be hosting our first team matches during 2020. They always do a fantastic job in staging our county games.”
Wrekin College will host Shropshire’s opening warm up match, a 50 overs per side contest against Worcestershire Academy on Sunday, April 5.
It will also be the venue for a Twenty20 friendly against Cambridgeshire on Sunday, April 12, which will be followed by a second T20 friendly against Staffordshire at Denstone College a week later on Sunday, April 19.
Shropshire’s first competitive match of the new season will be a Twenty20 group clash against Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe on Sunday, April 26, with the first home match in the competition, against Wales, to be played at Wellington the following week, May 3.
Shropshire’s other T20 group matches will be away to Oxfordshire and at home to Berkshire, which will be hosted by Oswestry on May 24.
Four group matches will follow in the 50-over Trophy, beginning with an away game against Norfolk on June 7, with the other fixtures in the competition against Cambridgeshire at Wem on June 14, away to Cheshire and at home to Suffolk, which will be played at Whitchurch on July 5.
Shropshire will play in the second division of the Championship’s Western Division under the new format. Ten teams have been split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation places introduced.
Shropshire’s opening three-day fixture will be at home to Herefordshire, at Shrewsbury, between July 26-28.
The county will also play a home match in the Championship against Cornwall, which will be hosted by Bridgnorth, from August 16-18.
Shropshire’s three-day away matches in the Championship will take them to Bangor to face Wales and finally Devon, which will be played at Sidmouth.
Along with the other clubs in the National Counties Cricket Association, Shropshire will play a 50-over fixture at home to a first-class county, with Derbyshire to provide the opposition in an attractive match at Shifnal on Friday, July 17.
Shropshire’s popular annual Pure Telecom hospitality day will take place at Wrekin College on Thursday, July 9, with Scottish club Grange CC from Edinburgh the opposition. For booking enquiries, please email hospitality@shropshireccc.co.uk
Some of the venues for Shropshire’s away matches in the Trophy and T20 competition have yet to be confirmed.
Shropshire’s 2020 fixtures
Pre-season matches
April 5 v Worcestershire Academy (home) at Wrekin College (50 overs per side)
April 12 v Cambridgeshire (home) at Wrekin College (T20)
April 19 v Staffordshire at Denstone College (T20)
National Counties Cricket Association Twenty20 competition
April 26: Buckinghamshire (away) at High Wycombe
May 3: Wales (home) at Wellington
May 17: Oxfordshire (away)
May 24: Berkshire (home) at Oswestry
June 24: T20 Finals Day
National Counties Cricket Association Trophy
June 7: Norfolk (away)
June 14: Cambridgeshire (home) at Wem
June 21: Cheshire (away)
July 5: Suffolk (home) at Whitchurch
July 19: quarter-finals (provisionally at Bridgnorth if Shropshire were to be drawn at home)
August 9: semi-finals (provisionally at Oswestry if Shropshire were to be drawn at home)
September 2: Trophy final
Pure Telecom hospitality day
July 9 v Grange CC (Edinburgh) at Wrekin College
NCCA v First-class match
July 17 v Derbyshire (home) at Shifnal
National Counties Cricket Association Championship
July 26-28: Herefordshire (home) at Shrewsbury
August 2-4: Wales (away) at Bangor
August 16-18: Cornwall (home) at Bridgnorth
August 23-25: Devon (away) at Sidmouth