Fixtures for March and early April

posted by John Winn

Many of our readers will no doubt be aware that the county championship begins in a little over a month's time, Friday April 7th, an early start which is reflected in dates for  the counties' warm up matches, hence this list of fixtures.

March 16th Oxford MCCU v Gloucestershire (1 day) The Parks

March 19th Somerset v Gloucestershire (3 days) Taunton

March 22nd Sussex v Surrey (3 days) Hove

March 23rd Somerset v Glamorgan (2 days) Taunton

March 24th Oxford MCCU v St Edward's School (1day) The Parks

March 27th Sussex v Somerset (2 days) Hove
                    Glamorgan v Gloucestershire (1 day) Cardiff

March 28th Cambridge MCCU v  Notts (3 days) Fenner's
                    Glamorgan v Cardiff MCCU (3 days) Cardiff (Swalec)
                    Gloucestershire v Durham MCCU (3 days) Bristol
                    Kent v Leeds/Bradford MCCU ( 3 days) Canterbury
                    Leicestershire v Loughborough MCCU ( 3 days) *
                    Oxford MCCU v Surrey ( 3 days) The Parks
                    Warwickshire v Northants (2 days) Edgbaston

March 30th Sussex v Hants (2 days) Hove

March 31st Warwickshire v Leicestershire (50 over) Edgbaston (cancelled)

April 2nd   Cambridge MCCU v  Lancashire ( 3 days) Fenner's
                   Essex v Durham MCCU ( 3 days) Chelmsford
                   Hants v Cardiff MCCU ( 3 days) Southampton
                   Northants v Loughborough MCCU ( 3 days) Wantage Road
                   Oxford MCCU v Warwickshire ( 3days) The Parks
                   Yorkshire v Leeds/Bradford MCCU ( 3 days) Headingley
                   Glamorgan v Notts (2 days) Cardiff
                   Kent v Surrey ( 2 days) Canterbury

April 3rd    Notts II v Yorkshire II ( 2 days) Lady Bay, Nottingham
                   Worcestershire v Gloucestershire ( 2days) Royal Grammar School Worcester
                   Middlesex v Durham ( 2 days) Merchant Taylor's School

April 6th     Hants II v Lancashire II ( 2 days) Southampton

April 7th    County Championship begins

* some sources give this match as being played at Loughborough but I have confirmed with Leicestershire that it will be at Grace Road.
According to the Notts website their second XI is playing at Loughborough University on this date (28th March for 3 days) against presumably a University 2nd XI.

5 days cricket in The Parks in Match, not sure what CB Fry would have made of that. In any case he had better ways to spend the early spring days for on 20th March 1895 he pleaded guilty to extinguishing five street lamps in Oxford High Street for which he was fined £2 plus 7/6d costs. The alternative was fourteen days in jail.