The Warwickshire Cricket Team has made the announcement that three out of their four home One-Day Cup group games this summer will be held at Rugby School, located 37 miles away from their usual home ground at Edgbaston. The decision to host these matches at the 3,000-capacity Rugby School ground has come as a surprise to many fans, as it has been almost a decade since the Bears have utilized an outground for their games.
The first game, against Surrey, is scheduled to take place on 2nd August, followed by matches against Yorkshire on 11th August and Nottinghamshire on 14th August. The team will still host Glamorgan at Edgbaston on Thursday, 8 August. This move marks the first time in nearly ten years that Warwickshire has taken their games away from Edgbaston, with the last instance being in 2013 when they hosted a T20 game against Glamorgan at Rugby School.
Rugby School holds significant historical importance in sporting history as the place where William Webb Ellis is said to have invented the game of rugby in 1823. Additionally, former Warwickshire captain Michael Powell, who led the team to victory in the Benson and Hedges Cup in 2002, now serves as the director of cricket at Rugby School.
The One-Day Cup is set to commence on 24 July, with Warwickshire facing a trip to Chelmsford to play against Essex. The group stage will conclude on 14 August, followed by the knockout stages on 16 and 18 August. The final at Trent Bridge is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 22 September. On the other hand, the T20 Blast will have an extended gap between group stages and knockout games, with the quarter-finals set for 3-6 September and Finals Day scheduled for Saturday, 14 September at Edgbaston.
Fans of Warwickshire Cricket will undoubtedly be anticipating these upcoming matches as they support their team at both the familiar Edgbaston ground and the historic backdrop of Rugby School. The decision to change venues for some of their games is an intriguing one, and it presents an exciting opportunity for fans to back their team in a different setting. Despite the change in scenery, the Bears will no doubt be aiming to deliver their best performance as they seek success in the One-Day Cup.