Crowd pilot schemes at The Oval & Edgbaston for Bob Willis Trophy
- Published
Crowds of up to 1,000 have been allowed to watch Surrey's red-ball friendly with Middlesex at The Oval, which began on Sunday
Surrey and Warwickshire can allow up to 2,500 spectators to watch the first two days of their opening Bob Willis Trophy fixtures which start on Saturday.
Middlesex's trip to The Oval and Northamptonshire's visit to Edgbaston have been chosen for the next phase of the pilot scheme to test government guidance on crowds returning to sport.
The first phase saw 1,000 watch Surrey play Middlesex at The Oval on Sunday.
It was deemed "a definite success" by Surrey chief executive Richard Gould.
The same social distancing measures, brought in as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, will be in place on Tuesday when Warwickshire host Worcestershire in a friendly at Edgbaston.
"We're all excited about the start of the county cricket season," said former Warwickshire chief executive Neil Snowball, who has just started his new role as the England and Wales Cricket Board's director of county cricket.
"Of course we all miss not being able to go and watch as we normally would. These two pilots are an important step in testing the government guidance and ensuring we can safely open our grounds again."
Bears chief operating officer Craig Flindall added: "We're delighted Warwickshire and Edgbaston are again at the forefront of innovation and we can play a part in securing the safe return of spectators to sporting events across the country.
"We have a proven track record and have vast experience of delivering some of the biggest sporting events that have taken place in the city in recent years. Whilst we are operating at a reduced capacity, these three match dates are of equal importance to those previous events."
Tickets are being made available to members only at both games and must be booked in advance, with both Surrey, external and Warwickshire, external saying no tickets will be available from their respective grounds on the day of the game.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this month that spectators could be able to return to stadiums in England from October, as long as pilot events prove successful.
England's Test series with the West Indies is being played behind closed doors.