Big day for Rugby School as Warwickshire bring festival of cricket to town

​The clash is the first of three 50-over clashes being held at the venue as part of the club's Rugby Festival of Cricket.

As well as entertaining Surrey this Friday (August 2), the Bears also host Yorkshire on August 11 and Nottinghamshire on August 14.

The matches will be the first professional matches staged at Rugby School since 2015, when the Bears won a One Day Cup clash against Sussex.

The ground has a 3,000-capacity for what organisers intend to be a community festival of cricket to welcome the Bears on tour.

Mark Robinson's team are unable to play matches at Edgbaston as the ground is being used by the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.

Warwickshire have started their One Day Cup Group B campaign in great form, claiming three wins out of three so far, seeing off Essex, Leicestershire and Sussex.

All of their matches have been away the county, so the Surrey clash at Rugby will be the first taste of home action for the Bears.

Both Surrey and Warwickshire will be missing several key first team players, as they re involvedin The Hundred.

But the south Londoners have still been able to feld a side that includes the likes of England internationalsDom Sibley, Rory Burns and Ben Foakes, while the Bears also boast plenty of strength.

In their games to date, they have included the likes of Will Rhodes, skipper Ed Barnard, Jake Lintott and Olly Hannon-Dalby.

The Bears’ most recent win saw them clinch a thriller by just one wicket in a low-scoring clash at Sussex.

Michael Booth took three wickets as Sussex were bowled out for just 173, before the Bears struggled to get over the line thanks to 60 from Rhodes and Kai Smith (44).

“It was a great game for the neutral, and a great game for us,” said Rhodes. “You probably learn more about your team in games like this. It was tough out there. They bowled really well.

“This is a competition I’ve really enjoyed in recent years and I feel we’ve got a good team.”