Nottinghamshire depart for Barbados this morning for some intensive warm weather preparation ahead of the English domestic season.
A total of six county teams will be competing in the 3rd Annual Barbados Pre-Season Pro Cricket Camp, which runs to March 26th with $15,000 prize money at stake.
The camp, which is organized by the Barbados Tourism Authority, incorporates The Barbados T20 Cup and The Barbados T20 Plate.
Apart from the Outlaws, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Hampshire and Yorkshire will be making the trip, with local opposition being provided by Barbados and The Combined Campuses and Colleges side (CCC), who both participate in the West Indies’ regional 4-day competition.
Mick Newell’s side open their programme of tour fixtures with a 40-over contest against Warwickshire at Windward Cricket Club on Saturday.
Two days later Yorkshire provide the opposition in another white ball, 40 overs per side match, this time at Four Square Cricket Club.
The format then switches to Twenty20 cricket with the centrepiece of the tour, the Barbados T20 Cup, which features all eight sides competing over two days at the world famous Kensington Oval at Bridgetown.
Warwickshire will be defending the trophy they won last year, while Hampshire will be looking to follow up the success they enjoyed in 2010.
Notts’ first match in the tournament will be a day / night affair, against Barbados, on Tuesday 20th March.
On 24th and 25th March Notts complete their programme of tour fixtures with a 2-day match against Warwickshire at Windward Cricket Club.
Close season signings James Taylor, Harry Gurney and Michael Lumb will all be looking forward to appearing for their new county for the first time, whilst Notts must travel without Samit Patel, who joins Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann with the full England party, preparing for the forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
The other English counties have named strong squads for Barbados, with Notts likely to face Chris Woakes, Daren Maddy and Tim Ambrose when they meet the Bears, whilst Yorkshire include Andrew Gale, Adam Lyth, Ajmal Shahzad, Joe Root, former Notts man Ryan Sidebottom and England’s Jonny Bairstow.
Fixtures:
Sat 17 March v Warwickshire (40 overs) Windward CC
Mon 19 March v Yorkshire (40 overs) Four Square CC
Wed 21 March v Barbados (T20) Kensington Oval
Thur 22 March v tbc (T20) Barbados T20 Cup & Plate fixtures
Sat 24 & Sun 25 March v Warwickshire (2-day) Windward CC
Follow Nottinghamshire’s tour of Barbados here on www.trentbridge.co.uk