Scarborough CC relishing the return of Roses cricket as Yorkshire CCC meet Lancashire CCC in 2023

Next year there is a happy fusion of the two as Yorkshire face Lancashire at Scarborough for the first time in 32 years when the great rivals meet in the One-Day Cup.

The match on Thursday August 3 will be the first Roses fixture at Scarborough since 1991, when the clubs locked horns in the then Britannic Assurance County Championship.

Martyn Moxon, the former Yorkshire director of cricket, set up victory for the hosts with a second innings century before Darren Gough, who replaced him at Headingley last December, took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Yorkshire won by 48 runs.

The clubs had been due to meet at Scarborough in the County Championship in 2020, only for a certain virus to scupper the plan - and then again in 2021, when ongoing crowd restrictions forced a late change to Headingley.

Now it’s a case of third time lucky in what will also be the first Roses one-day game at the venue since 1990, when Lancashire won by 78 runs in the old Refuge Assurance 40-over League.

The great Wasim Akram was Lancashire’s main man that day, adding 4-19 from six overs to an unbeaten 35 after a century opening stand between the former England stars Michael Atherton and Graeme Fowler.

And before you are released from this stultifying history lesson, the only other Roses games at North Marine Road took place in that same era - Lancashire winning by four wickets and two wickets respectively in 40-over fixtures in 1987 and 1988, and then by 184 runs in another Championship match in 1989.

Bill Mustoe, the Scarborough CC president-elect, said that the club was delighted to be back on the Roses roster after such a long period away.

He said that Scarborough is pleased with all of its games in 2023 after next summer’s fixtures were announced on Wednesday by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Scarborough will also stage a One-Day Cup match against defending champions Kent on August 1.

And it will host Championship fixtures against Durham (July 25-28) and Derbyshire (September 3-6).

“It’s a long while since Lancashire came to Scarborough, so that’s a really big fixture for us,” said Mustoe.

“To have the two Championship games against them cancelled due to Covid was obviously very disappointing, so we’re really looking forward to hosting this 50-over match.

“The fixtures overall work really well for us - Durham is always a good fixture, and Derbyshire is also fairly local, so hopefully there’ll be plenty of away support, too.

“We’re also very grateful to the Yorkshire club because we asked for fixtures to be in the school holidays, and they all are, which is fantastic.”

York staged a 50-over Roses game last season and this time the Clifton Park venue has been handed 50-over games against Surrey on August 15 and Hampshire on August 17.

Like Scarborough, York is a credit to the county club and has quickly established itself as a fans’ favourite after returning to the fixture list in recent times.

Although there is no Roses Championship cricket next year, the enormously popular Vitality Blast games are of course ever-present, with Headingley hosting the first T20 encounter between Yorkshire and Lancashire on June 1 before the re-match at Old Trafford on June 30.

Yorkshire will begin life in Division Two of the Championship against Leicestershire at Headingley on April 6, with their first away match the following week against Gloucestershire in Bristol.

There is no change to the Championship format next summer, meaning 14 games with two-up, two down.

It means no Championship cricket again in August, when The Hundred will dominate with the One-Day Cup played alongside.

The standout game in terms of unfamiliar venues next season is Yorkshire’s visit to Radlett to face Middlesex in the One-Day Cup on August 22.

Yorkshire’s only previous appearance at the ground was a Yorkshire Bank 40 contest in 2013 when a certain Dawid Malan hit 96 to inspire the hosts to a six-wicket win.

The Northern Diamonds women’s fixtures have also been announced, with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy defending champions beginning their campaign against Western Storm at Headingley on April 22.

The RHF Trophy fixture list has doubled for next year, meaning that the Diamonds will play 14 50-over contests ahead of the knockout stages.

There is also an extra fixture in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, with Headingley hosting two women’s/men’s double-headers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup/Vitality Blast on May 28 and June 4.

All in all, plenty to look out for - not least that Roses return to dear old Scarbados.