Sussex welcome Hampshire to Hove in season opener

Sussex will begin their Bob Willis Trophy campaign with a match against local rivals, Hampshire at The 1st Central County Ground.

The shortened 2020 season will see the Bob Willis Trophy replace the County Championship, which is set to return next summer, with all 18 First-Class counties aiming to reach a five-day trophy decider in September.

Counties will be divided into three regionalised groups of six, and play five group-stage matches - which will all hold first-class status. 

Sussex welcome Hampshire to Hove on Saturday 1 August, before the visit of Essex to the south coast is sandwiched between trips to Kent, Middlesex and Surrey.

Each match will last four days, with the two group winners with the most points from the three regionalised groups progressing to the final. 

A special edition women’s domestic 50-over competition will also be staged this summer, featuring the eight new teams in the women’s elite domestic structure.

Like the Bob Willis Trophy, the women's 50-over competition will also be regionalised, into two groups of four teams, with the group winners meeting in a final. The staging of this competition reflects the ECB’s commitment to continue the journey to professionalise the domestic game for women.

Fixtures for the women’s domestic competition are set to be announced, alongside confirmation of the full schedule for the Vitality Blast, next month. The Vitality Blast will commence on Thursday 27 August.

ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison, said: “There has been a strong determination across the game to play men’s and women’s domestic cricket his summer and the fact that we will owes to the significant work and collaboration across the county network.

“The efforts to deliver a new one-off men’s and women’s competition, in addition to a shortened Vitality Blast, to meet the unprecedented requirements of playing professional cricket during a pandemic have been remarkable.

“It will be a fitting reward for all that work, and for the patience of all county cricket fans, when the first ball is bowled in the Bob Willis Trophy next Saturday. To have this year’s first-class competition named in Bob’s honour is a perfect gesture to a great man who is sorely missed.

“I am pleased that we have been able to schedule women’s domestic cricket and ensure competitive cricket following last month’s confirmation of the first cohort of players on Regional Retainer contracts.

“We will need to remain agile to the challenges that will await us during the shortened domestic season with the health and wellbeing of our players, staff, officials and fans continuing to be our first priority.”

The domestic competitions will be staged under strict health and safety protocols with the Bob Willis Trophy also set to feature ECB Board-approved changes to playing conditions to help ensure the wellbeing of players, most significantly fast bowlers, following the long lay-off due to COVID-19.

The playing conditions have been put in place following extensive medical research and in collaboration with the First-Class Counties and the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and include:

• A reduction from a minimum of 96 overs to a minimum of 90 overs in a day’s play.
• Each county’s first innings of a match can last no longer than 120 overs
• The follow-on will increase from 150 to 200 runs
• The new ball will be available after 90 overs rather than 80 overs

All matches in the Bob Willis Trophy are set to be played behind closed doors, with The 1st Central County Ground still closed to the public, but supporters will be able to watch every ball LIVE and for free via our Match Day Centre on the Sussex Cricket website.

As cricket makes its long-awaited return, albeit without spectators, Sussex Cricket would like to thank our Members and Blast Pass holders for their continued patience and support during these financially challenging times. 

We will be in touch with all Members and Blast Pass holders once the entirety of the season is fully understood.