Hampshire get date for Bowl return

Hampshire will return to first-class action at The Ageas Bowl next April.

The ECB have today announced the schedule for the remodelled 2021 County Championship programme.

For the second year running, a revised structure is in place to mitigate against the impact of the pandemic.

All counties will play 14 red-ball matches across group and division stages, with each one placed into one of three seeded groups of six.

Each side will then play five home and five away matches during the group stage with the top two counties in each group progressing to the top division where they will each play a further four matches.

The counties in the other two divisions will do the same.

Hampshire, in group 2 alongside Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Somerset and Surrey, begin on Thursday, April 8 at Leicestershire.

James Vince’s side will then return to The Ageas Bowl - having played both their Bob Willis Trophy home games at Arundel in 2020 - against Middlesex the following week.

The opening round of the divisional matches will begin on the Bank Holiday Monday, August 30, followed by a five-day Bob Willis Trophy final to be played between the top two counties in the top division, starting on September 27.

One-day fixtures will be revealed in the new year.

Group 2 fixtures Thursday, April 8

Lord’s: Middlesex v Somerset. Leicester: Leicestershire v Hampshire. Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey.

Thursday, April 15

Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Middlesex. Taunton: Somerset v Gloucestershire. Oval: Surrey v Leicestershire.

Thursday, April 22

Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Gloucestershire. Lord’s: Middlesex v Surrey.w

Leicester: Leicestershire v Somerset.

Thursday, April 29

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire. Taunton: Somerset v Middlesex.

Kia Oval: Surrey v Hampshire.

Thursday, May 6

Leicester: Leicestershire v Surrey. Lord’s: Middlesex Gloucestershire. Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Somerset.

Thursday, May 13

Lord’s: Middlesex v Hampshire. Taunton: Somerset v Surrey.

Thursday, May 20

Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Leicestershire. Bristol: Gloucestershire v Somerset. Oval: Surrey v Middlesex.

Thursday, May 27

Oval: Surrey v Gloucestershire. Leicester: Leicestershire v Middlesex.

Thursday, June 3

Leicester: Leicestershire v Gloucestershire.

Sunday, July 4

Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Middlesex. Ageas Bowl: Hampshire v Surrey. Leicester: Somerset v Leicestershire.

Sunday, July 11

Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Hampshire. Merchant Taylors: Middlesex v Leicestershire. Oval: Surrey v Somerset.