Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson is relishing the opening home LV=Insurance County Championship match of 2023 and the chance “to reconnect with the members.”
After two away games, Worcestershire supporters can look forward to successive matches at New Road, against Gloucestershire starting on Thursday, and then Sussex from Thursday, May 4.
Richardson and his fellow coaches and players were greatly appreciative of the support they have already received at Derby and Durham but says there is a special feeling about the first home fixture.
He said: “It will be brilliant. We always have to wait a little bit longer than anyone else for our first home game for obvious reasons.
“It’s going to be great to be back. It was superb to be walking around the boundary at Derby and Durham and seeing some familiar faces.
“We are so appreciative of the supporters who have travelled those miles already.
“But it will be fantastic to be back home. We always talk about it being a special place – and it is.
“We had our first day back training at New Road on Tuesday, so that has been great to get in the nets and have a look around, and it looks in amazing nick.
“It is exciting to be back and reconnect with the members again after a long winter.
“The ground is a little bit softer in places, but no different to what we’ve experienced at Derby and Durham and it’s been the same everywhere in the country by the sound of it from speaking to players and coaches.
“The umpires have been great. They’ve appreciated it is not ideal, but it’s not been dangerous so to get the guys out there to play cricket has been important.”
