Enjoy T20 Blast cricket in style as Birmingham Bears take on local rivals Worcestershire Rapids in a crucial derby match, with international cricket star guest Graham Gooch!
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran, or completely new to the shortest format, you can be sure that T20 Blast cricket is a thrilling sight to behold. Having won the first tournament in 2014, Birmingham Bears again reached the final in 2017, where they were defeated by Notts Outlaws. With a fabulous and talented squad featuring the likes of England star Chris Woakes, Olly Stone and captain Jeetan Patel, the Bears are likely to be in the hunt for honours again and will be amongst the favourites to progress to the Finals once more. Opponents Worcestershire Rapids exceeded all expectations last year by winning the Vitality T20 Blast competition, so this is sure to be a thrilling encounter!
We are delighted to offer a great value hospitality package in the salubrious Wyatt Suite for this compelling derby match which includes food, complimentary drinks and superb balcony viewing for the match.
Birmingham Bears v Worcestershire Rapids: The two old Midlands rivals face off once more in what promises to be a fascinating encounter replete with explosive big-hitting, canny bowling and spectacular fielding. Last year the Bears suffered a defeat at the hands of the Rapids in a thrilling high-scoring match, with the Worcestershire team sealing victory on the back of a brilliant 115 off just 56 balls from England star Moeen Ali, as the Bears came up agonisingly short on 194-7 chasing 209-5. With over 400 runs scored in the designated 40 overs in the match, this was T20 blast cricket at its very best. The Bears made a valiant attempt to chase down such a huge total with all top seven batsmen reaching double figures, but ultimately, they came up just short. Revenge is very much on the cards!
Graham Gooch: Graham Gooch was the most prolific run scorer top-class cricket has ever seen. After he retired in 1997, the statistician Robert Brooke calculated that he had scored 22,211 runs in List A cricket which, added to his 44,846 first-class runs, put him ahead of the legendary Jack Hobbs. He was until recently England’s highest Test run-scorer, before being overtaken by his protégé Alastair Cook. Graham scored a total of 8900 Test runs at an average close to 43, with 20 centuries including the incredible 333 against India in 1990, in a match where he scored 123 in the second innings, make a world record 456 aggregate in a Test match. Many judges consider his 154 not out against the fearsome West Indies in 1991 as one of the greatest innings of all time as he carried his bat in a total of 252. Graham also played 125 ODIs with an average of 38, and an impressive 8 centuries. As an occasional medium pace bowler, he also chipped in with 59 international wickets across all formats. We are thrilled to welcome a true legend of the game to the Wyatt Suite!
The Wyatt Suite: Our top-class facility at Edgbaston is the pitch-facing Wyatt Suite, which offers some of the best views of the action, both from within the suite and from the superb viewing balcony seats immediately outside. This intimate facility offers great attention to detail and service for our maximum 80 guests at a great value price. All guests will have the opportunity for a photograph with our star guest, Graham Gooch!
