Lancs face early end to Old Trafford season for pitch work
LANCASHIRE have been handed a tough start to their 2018 County Championship campaign.
But fans will be starved of cricket at Emirates Old Trafford in the later part of the summer with the last Division One match at the ground the Roses clash with Yorkshire, which is scheduled to finish on July 25.
After that, there are three T20 Blast matches in Manchester, but unless Lancashire get a home T20 Blast quarter-final, there will be no more cricket at the venue next season following the visit of Birmingham Bears on August 10.
The move is allow for work to begin on the outfield ahead of a hectic 2019, which includes an Ashes Test and World Cup semifinal at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire, who finished runners-up last season in Glen Chapple’s first year in charge, start next summer with a visit from former head coach Peter Moores’ newly-promoted Nottinghamshire in the County Championship on April 13.
They then travel to Chelmsford for a clash with champions Essex, who beat them to the Division One title last season. And a tough-looking April ends with a home match against Surrey at Emirates Old Trafford.
They host Somerset and then visit Notts at Trent Bridge before the start of the Royal London Oneday Cup, which also begins with a home clash against the Outlaws, who won the competition last season.
Lancashire will host one 50-over match at Blackpool – the visit of Warwickshire on May 25 – and a County Championship game at Southport against Worcestershire beginning on August 29, but say they were unable to agree a date with Liverpool for a game to be played there. Instead, Lancashire Thunder’s opening Kia Super League game will be at Aigburth on July 22.
Lancashire bring their County Championship campaign to an end with four of their last five matches away from home – including the return Roses clash at Headingley on September 10 and a day/night fixture against Surrey at The Oval from August 19 – before ending the season at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl starting on September 24.
There have been concerns over Lancashire’s outfield in recent seasons when games follow money-spinning concerts at the venue.
But the club can’t afford for there to be any problems with the surface in 2019 with the club hosting such high-profile international matches.
They are due to host a Liam Gallagher gig on August 18 next year before work on the outfield begins.
Operations director Anthony Mundy said: “A large amount of work is required on the outfield at Emirates Old Trafford due to the vast amount of cricket that is taking place here in 2019.
“With an Ashes Test and the ICC World Cup, we’re going to have a unprecedented number of fixtures at the ground.
“We normally start our outfield renovation at the end of September after the conclusion of the last Specsavers County Championship fixture, but in 2018 we will require another month to ensure the grass is given enough time to grow.
“The work that is being carried out is substantial as we’re taking off the whole top layer of the outfield and then re-seeding it.” DETECTIVES investigating an incident outside a Bristol nightclub involving England all-rounder Ben Stokes have passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for advice on charging, Avon and Somerset Police said.
The all-rounder, who was dropped from the England squad and suspended from playing for his country following his arrest on September 25, is in New Zealand where he was hoping to play in a domestic competition this weekend.
It remains unclear whether the CPS will now decide to charge Stokes and if the 26-year-old will be able to play any part in England’s Ashes series against Australia.
Stokes was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm, with the England and Wales Cricket Board set to conduct their own disciplinary enquiry once the police investigation is concluded.
An Avon and Somerset Police statement read: “Today (29/11) we have passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service and are now seeking charging advice.”