Edgbaston trip first up for Northants as fixtures for 2020 season are announced

Northants will start the 2020 season at Edgbaston on August 1

The England & Wales Cricket Board announced the format and fixtures for the four-day competition on Friday morning, with the beginning of the campaign having been delayed from April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bob Willis Trophy is a one-off first-class competition, with all 18 counties involved in three regional groups.

The County have been placed in the Central Group alongside Somerset, Worcestershire, Glamorgan and Gloucestershire.

Three of Northants' five group matches will be played at the County Ground, and they will be against Somerset (August 8), Worcestershire (August 15) and Glamorgan (August 22).

The final group game will be played at Gloucestershire on September 6.

The two group winners that collect the most points over their five matches will contest a five-day Grand Final, which is to be played at Lord's on a date to be confirmed.

As it stands, all matches will be played behind closed doors, with spectators not allowed.

As well as the Bob Willis Trophy, Northants will also be involved in a shortened T20 Blast competition which is set to start on August 27, and the Steelbacks will again be in the Central Group.

Fixtures for this will be announced early next month.

ECB chief executive 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 a week on 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."