Kent County Cricket Club release 2012 Fixture List
Monday 28th November 2011
Kent County Cricket Club has today released the fixture list for the 2012 season.
The County start the opening round of the LV=County Championship in Yorkshire on Thursday 5th April; with their first home match scheduled for week three of the competition against Gloucestershire at Canterbury. Kent will also host a three day ‘tourist match’ against South Africa, commencing on Friday 13th July.
The Club have welcomed the County Championship schedule, with Kent CEO Jamie Clifford commenting; “It is pleasing to see a more even spread of home fixtures in the County Championship, with two home matches in April and May, Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival in June and then matches in Canterbury in July, August and September. When the South Africa tour match was confirmed early this year the news was extremely well received, so we anticipate this match will be very popular too.”
The 2012 Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival will showcase all three forms of the game for the first time. Following the extended June Bank Holiday, Kent will play Hampshire in the County Championship, followed by a CB40 match against Northamptonshire on Sunday 10th June. The festival will be concluded with Kent Spitfires’ opening home Friends Life t20 fixture against neighbours Sussex on Tuesday 12th June.
In its 161st year, Canterbury Cricket Week will start on 8th August, with Ladies Day scheduled for Thursday 9th. Kent will compete against Essex in the County Championship, with the Spitfires then playing Derbyshire Falcons in the CB40 competition on Sunday 12th August.
Kent Spitfires will start their season with an away fixture, taking on Yorkshire in the CB40 competition on Sunday 6th May, before facing The Unicorns at Canterbury two weeks later. A significant feature of the CB40 home programme is that three Canterbury games will be played under floodlights at the redeveloped St Lawrence Ground; Warwickshire on Friday 1st June, Sussex on Monday 16th July and Yorkshire on Wednesday 22nd August. Investment in world-class floodlights at the St Lawrence Ground means that it is easier to schedule match times to suit supporter lifestyle.
Home Friends Life t20 matches follow a similar format, with all three Canterbury matches under floodlights; Hampshire Royals on Friday 15th June, Middlesex Panthers on Tuesday 26th June and Essex Eagles on Friday 6th July. In 2012 there will be a reduction in the number of Friends Life t20 matches, but the Club are hopeful that the well-spaced evening matches will result in an increase in attendance. Of note is the inclusion of an England Women’s International fixture, against India, preceding the Kent Spitfires versus Middlesex Panthers. At this stage, the venue for the fifth Friends Life t20 fixture, against Surrey on Sunday 17th June is to be confirmed. This is a game traditionally played at Beckenham and, depending on the outcome of the current planning application for the ground, will either be confirmed as Beckenham or moved to an alternative Kent ground.
Kent Cricket’s CEO Jamie Clifford concluded; “I would like to thank members and supporters for their patience during the extensive redevelopments at the St Lawrence Ground. We hope you will join us in 2012 to take full advantage of the new facilities. We are pleased with our programme of fixtures and there is something for everyone – from the tradition of the County Championship and our famous cricket festivals, to the excitement of the Friends Life t20, the CB40 campaign and a tour match against South Africa.”
Kent County Cricket Club has launched a range of Membership and Ticketing options for 2012, which offer generous reductions on stand-alone ticket prices. The Club also has a number of early bird specials available for online purchase until 31st December 2011.
Click here to download the full Kent fixtures
Click here to download the full Kent fixtures (printer friendly version)