Northants on Canterbury trail as they start 2023 campaign with trip to Kent

The England & Wales Cricket Board have announced the domestic fixtures for next summer, with the schedule following a similar pattern to 2022.

Northants will play 14 County Championship matches, 14 Vitality T20 Blast Group games, and also eight group matches in the 50-over One Day Cup.

They will of course also be hoping for extra fixtures in the knockout stages of the limited overs competitions.

The first part of the season is again devoted to the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One, with John Sadler's side facing a busy start to their campaign.

They host Oxford UCCE on Saturday, April 1 in a three-day friendly, and after travelling to Kent for their opener, Northants then play three of their next four Championship matches at home.

The first action at the County Ground a clash with newly-promoted Middlesex on April 13.

They will play six four-day matches in the opening seven weeks of the campaign, with four more following in June and July, before the final four fixtures are once again staged in September.

The County wrap up their first-class campaign as they did in 2022, with a home game against Essex.

Northants will play twice against Kent, Middlesex, Hampshire, Somerset, Lancashire and Warwickshire, home and away, but against Essex and Surrey only once - the trip to reigning champions not until September 19.

There will be no trip to Lord’s for the County though, as their trip to Middlesex on July 10 is scheduled to be played at Merchant Taylors School Ground in Northwood.

The Vitality Blast group stages will run from the end of May through the early July, and the Steelbacks will play three Friday night home fixtures at Wantage Road.

They start with a Wednesday night opener against Worcestershire on May 24, before hosting their first Friday nighter against Durham two days later.

Finding their form early is going to be crucial for Josh Cobb's side, as four of their first five Blast group encounters are at the County Ground.

As well as the three Friday night home games, Northants also host Notts Outlaws on a Sunday afternoon (June 18).

The Steelbacks wrap up the group stage with a trip to Old Trafford to play Lancashire Lightning on July 2, with the quarter-finals quickly scheduled for July 6 and 7, with Finals Day at Edgbaston on July 15.

In the One Day Cup, which will once again be played at the same time as The Hundred through August, the Steelbacks have been grouped with Sussex, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Durham, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Glamorgan.

Two of Northants' four home games will be played on Sundays, versus Sussex on August 6 and Derbyshire on August 20, and they will once again take part in the annual Cheltenham Festival, taking on Gloucestershire in their opener on Friday, August 4.

The ODC quarter-finals are pencilled in for Friday, August 25, with the final to be played at Trent Bridge on Saturday, September 16.

Northants will also play a 50-over friendly prior to the competition starting.

For the past two years they have taken on Bedfordshire, but this year they will travel to Cambridgeshire on Sunday, July 30.

It has also been announced that the County Ground will stage a Men's Under-19s ODI between England and Australia on Sunday, September 16.

All fixtures are subject to change.

The Northants players are already back at work at the County Ground, having been in training since the beginning of November.

NORTHANTS FIXTURES 2023

Home matches in italics

Friendly

Saturday, April 1

Northants v Oxford UCCE (County Ground)LV= INSURANCE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE

Thursday, April 6Kent v Northants (Canterbury)

Thursday, April 13Northants v Middlesex (County Ground)

Thursday, April 20Northants v Hampshire (County Ground)

Thursday, May 4Somerset v Northants (Taunton)

Thursday, May 11Northants v Nottinghamshire (County Ground)

Thursday, May 18

Hampshire v Northants (Ageas Bowl)

Sunday, June 25

Northants v Kent (County Ground)

Monday, July 10

Middlesex v Northants (Merchant Taylors School Ground, Northwood)

Wednesday, July 19

Northants v Somerset (County Ground)

Tuesday, July 25

Lancashire v Northants (Old Trafford)

Sunday, September 3

Northants v Lancashire (County Ground)

Sunday, September 10

Warwickshire v Northants (Edgbaston)

Thursday, September 19

Surrey v Northants (Oval)

Tuesday, September 26

Northants v Essex (County Ground)

VITALITY T20 BLAST

Wednesday, May 24

Steelbacks v Worcestershire (County Ground)

Friday, May 26

Steelbacks v Durham (County Ground)

Monday, May 29

Derbyshire v Steelbacks (Derby)

Wednesday, May 31

Steelbacks v Birmingham Bears (County Ground)

Friday, June 2

Steelbacks v Leicestershire Foxes (County Ground)

Sunday, June 4

Worcestershire v Steelbacks (Worcester)

Tuesday, June 6

Durham v Steelbacks (Riverside)

Friday, June 9

Birmingham Bears v Steelbacks (Edgbaston)

Friday, June 16

Steelbacks v Lancashire (County Ground)

Sunday, June 18

Steelbacks v Notts Outlaws (County Ground)

Tuesday, June 20

Yorkshire Vikings v Steelbacks (Headingley)

Wednesday, June 21

Steelbacks v Derbyshire (County Ground)

Friday, June 23

Leicestershire v Steelbacks (Grace Road)

Sunday, July 2

Lancashire Lightning v Steelbacks (Old Trafford)

Quarter-finals

Thursday, July 6 & Friday, July 7

Finals Day

Saturday, July 15, EdgbastonONE DAY FRIENDLY

Sunday, July 30

Cambridgeshire v Northants (TBC)

ONE DAY CUP

Friday, August 4

Gloucestershire v Steelbacks (Cheltenham)

Sunday, August 6

Steelbacks v Sussex (County Ground)

Wednesday, August 9

Steelbacks v Somerset (County Ground)

Sunday, August 13

Durham v Steelbacks (Riverside)

Wednesday, August 16

Steelbacks v Worcestershire (County Ground)

Friday, August 18

Warwickshire v Steelbacks (Edgbaston)

Sunday, August 20

Steelbacks v Derbyshire (County Ground)

Tuesday, August 22

Glamorgan v Steelbacks (Sophia Gardens)

Quarter-finals

Friday, August 25

Semi-finals

Tuesday, August 29

Final

Saturday, September 16 (Trent Bridge)Under-19 Men's International

Sunday, September 16

England v Australia (County Ground)