Richard Spiller looks ahead to July 2023.
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There’s a decidedly international flavour to July’s programme.
Surrey launch it by hosting Essex at the Kia Oval in the Vitality Blast on Sunday 2nd while three days later the ground stages the second T20 women’s international of the England v Australia series, a hectic week which also includes the Blast quarter-finals.
LV County Championship action returns to the ground on Monday June 10, Nottinghamshire heading down after a long absence following promotion to Division One last summer. They will be determined to improve on their 2018 showing, which brought defeat by an innings and 125 runs. Mark Stoneman’s 144 led the hosts to 375 all out, Tom Curran’s 5-28 spearheading the home attack in dismissing Notts for 101 and Conor McKerr’s 4-26 giving him seven wickets in the match to finish off the second innings for 149.
Vitality Blast finals day is on Saturday 15th and four days later it’s back to County Championship action when Surrey visit Lord’s to take on promoted Middlesex. Their last trip across the Thames ended in a disastrous 10-wicket defeat in 2021 and although the counties have often been in different divisions, it’s not since 1997 that Surrey won there in the Championship. Saqlain Mushtaq claimed ive wickets in each innings, split by Adam Hollioake cracking a typically aggressive 182.
Eight days later it’s off to Taunton, where Surrey’s three-wicket victory last summer was their first Championship success since 1986.
South East Stars have a busy time in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy. They take on Northern Diamonds at Beckenham on Sunday 2nd, then switch to Guildford for the visit of Central Sparks on Friday 7th. It’s back to Beckenham four days later when Sunrisers come calling, Western Storm doing likewise (Monday 22nd) in between a trek to play The Blaze.
Surrey’s warm-up for the 50-over competition takes them to Suffolk on Sunday July 20.
But for many the highlight of the summer will be the final Ashes Test at The Kia Oval, from Thursday July 27, which will be the earliest Ashes match played at the ground.
