GEARING UP
» Gloucestershire cricketers getting ready for season to get under way on August 1,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S 150th anniversary season will finally start on August 1 with a shortened red-ball competition to be named the Bob Willis Trophy in honour of the former England captain who died last December aged 70.
A majority of counties agreed to push ahead with both first-class and limitedovers cricket when the season starts from August 1, but it was reported that some wanted to play the white-ball format only.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed all 18 firstclass counties have agreed to take part in the same competitions.
Gloucestershire officials have admitted they were among those with concerns about playing four-day games.
“As we have stated throughout this process we do retain some concerns about the logistics of multi-day cricket, notably the clear medical advice around overnight accommodation,” said a club statement.
“But we will continue to work closely with the ECB and partner counties to ensure that any cricket played is done so in a safe environment. As an employer we have a very clear duty of care to all of our staff and this remains key to our decision making.
“As a club we are delighted and excited to have the return of domestic cricket confirmed for August.
“It will be fantastic to see Gloucestershire take to the field once more and it would have felt especially wrong if this hadn’t taken place in our anniversary year.“
The season will start with a four-day tournament, which it is thought will be played on a regional basis, followed by an abridged Vitality Blast which is set to get under way on August 27.
The Gloucestershire statement added: “The ECB should receive every plaudit for what they have achieved during this crisis.
“For cricket to be the first major team sport to return to playing both full International matches as well as the first major team sport to return to it’s rightful place on the of village greens and parks of this country is a testament to the dedication of all at the ECB.
“An area of considerable work for the ECB has been seeking alignment across the 18 First Class counties on what domestic cricket should be played this summer.
“Each county is uniquely different
It will be fantastic to see Gloucestershire take to the field once more
and has different motivations for the view it has put forward in the discussions all of which are completely valid for their respective counties.
“For us at Gloucestershire we have been fortunate in that our reasonably robust finances have allowed us to just focus on the issues of welfare and safety.”