Yorkshire reschedule T20 Blast fixture against Derbyshire

YORKSHIRE VIKINGS have moved this Wednesday's Vitality T20 Blast fixture against Derbyshire Falcons in order not to clash with England's World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
Yorkshire will now play Derbyshire in the T20 Blast at Headingley on Monday, July 30. Picture: Nigel French/PAYorkshire will now play Derbyshire in the T20 Blast at Headingley on Monday, July 30. Picture: Nigel French/PA
Yorkshire will now play Derbyshire in the T20 Blast at Headingley on Monday, July 30. Picture: Nigel French/PA

The game was supposed to start at 6.30pm - just 30 minutes before the kick-off between Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions and Croatia in Moscow.

Yorkshire and Derbyshire were involved in discussions over the weekend about changing the date of the fixture, with Monday, July 30 now the new date for the game to be played at Headingley – two days after the two sides meet at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield.

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Last week Yorkshire said that it was not feasible to change the date or start-time due to the 1,200 tickets that have already been sold and potential inconvenience to spectators.

But the mood has changed after England reached the semi-finals for only the third time in their history, a mood summed up by Yorkshire pace bowler Jack Brooks, who tweeted a plea on behalf of players and spectators of both clubs along with the hashtag #itscominghome

In a short statement, Yorkshire said: “Following England’s progression to the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup, we believe that it is in the best interests of the spectators to reschedule the fixture. The decision has taken into consideration travel advice for the Headingley area on Wednesday night.”

Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson, meanwhile, is confident his team can bounce back after Sunday’s eight-wicket defeat at Birmingham Bears on Sunday.

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The Vikings set a target of 157-7 from their 20 overs – Gary Ballance top-scoring with a career-best T20 knock of 79 – but could not prevent defeat to hosts who reached their target 4.1 overs to spare, with former England international Ian Bell hitting an unbeaten 50.

“You’ve got to be at the top of your game if you’re going to win,” said Patterson. “And we weren’t. It didn’t go our way because of that.

“But the thing with this tournament is that there’s so many games that come thick and fast, you’ve got to continue to believe in yourselves, keep that confidence and don’t get too down when you lose because everybody loses games in the group stages. It’s just a question of how many.”

The Bears reached their target in relative comfort partly thanks to the first over their innings which saw Matt Fisher concede 33, Ed Pollock hitting him for three sixes and two fours, with the 20-year-old seamer also bowling five wides and two no balls.

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Fellow bowler Jack Brooks, however, said Fisher would quickly bounce back.

““We’ve told Matt that in T20 cricket you get freak overs sometimes and some really good bowlers have gone for more than he did in that over – Stuart Broad went for 36 once,” said Brooks.

“We said not to get too down about it and laugh it off because we all know what a good cricketer he is.”

Ticket holders are advised to keep hold of their tickets for the Headingley clash against Derbyshire as these will be valid for the rescheduled fixture. For any queries, customers are advised to contact the Ticket and Membership Office on 0843 504 3099*, weekdays 9am to 5pm.