Excitement builds for Derbyshire ahead of annual Chesterfield Festival of Cricket

Derbyshire say excitement is building ahead of their annual cricket festival in Chesterfield.
Wes Durston sends a ball into the crowd for six.Wes Durston sends a ball into the crowd for six.
Wes Durston sends a ball into the crowd for six.

The picturesque Queens Park ground recently held two international fixtures, England versus Sri Lanka and India versus Sri Lanka, in the lead up to the global cricket tournament, with eight games taking place at Derby.

The games took place in the lead up to the week-long festival, which will feature a four-day Specsavers County Championship match versus Durham and a NatWest T20 Blast fixture against Yorkshire Vikings.

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Demand has been high for the local derby against Yorkshire on Saturday 8 July, with only 700 still available for the expected sell-out fixture.

The ground has undergone a comprehensive programme of work over the winter to improve drainage at Queen’s Park.

Councillor Steve Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “We look forward to welcoming both Durham and Yorkshire to the ground as they take on Derbyshire during the course of the popular cricket festival.

“We are proud to support the festival which promises to be a great week’s cricket and will bring lots of visitors to the town benefitting local businesses.”

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Derbyshire Chief Executive, Simon Storey added: “Chesterfield is a special venue for cricket and we’re delighted with the response we have received for this year’s festival.

“The popular NatWest T20 Blast fixture versus Yorkshire Vikings is set to be another sell out, while the traditional first-class fixture, this year versus Durham, is always well attended.

“Queen’s Park is one of the most picturesque venues in the game and we’re committed to returning for years to come.”

The festival, which runs from Monday 3 July to Saturday 8 July, features a four-day Specsavers County Championship match between Derbyshire and Durham.

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It concludes with the traditional local NatWest T20 Blast derby versus Yorkshire Vikings on Saturday 8 July, which is on course to be a sell-out with only 700 tickets still available.

Tickets for the matches are available from Chesterfield’s Visitor Information Centre in Rykneld Square or online at derbyshireccc.com.