Derbys ready for new-look campaign
DERBYSHIRE will begin their County Championship group stage fixtures against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
No county cricket was played last season at the Incora County Ground but it will be back on Thursday, April 15, when Derbyshire play Worcestershire.
The first round of matches will start on Thursday, April 8 – in front of spectators would be nice – and the new-look first-class competition will dominate the first eight weeks of the season up to the start of the Vitality Blast in June.
They will play their final two group games in July, including their return to Queen’s Park in Chesterfield, which is always one of the highlights of a Derbyshire season, against reigning champions Essex.
For the first time, the 18 first-class counties have been split into three groups of six.
Each county will play 10 group matches – five home and five away – with the top two in each group progressing to Division One and the other counties moving into Divisions Two and Three.
All will each play a further four matches to make it 14 first-class fixtures in all.
The winner of Division One will be crowned county champions and the top two in Division One will contest the five-day Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s from September 27.
Included in their season’s calendar, Derbyshire will again test themselves against international opposition when India A arrive for a four-day first-class game, starting on Sunday, June 27.
“Our guys performed really well in 2020 and they all have a year of experience behind them now so, hopefully, we can go out there and give these teams a test,” said head of cricket Dave Houghton.
“We have a really tough group, with teams like Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and the champions, Essex, so it will be a challenge but we’re up for the fight.
“When you play against the best sides, it shows you the standard that you aspire to get to. You can also learn a lot from what they do, but I expect us to be a challenge for any side.”