Pilot scheme to return fans to sports venues under review

A recent nationwide outbreak of coronavirus across the UK has damaged hope of getting fans back in grounds in large groups before the end of the campaign

• Surrey and Hampshire T20 clash open to fans

The climax to the county cricket season is likely to be played without supporters after the government put the target date of October 1 to return spectators to public venues under review.

A spike in cases of coronavirus across the United Kingdom has seen a number of lockdown measure re-imposed, which includes people being limited to meet in groups of six.

Earlier this summer, there were hopes of a staggered return of fans to sports venues could be possible. Trials took place in pre-season matches at The Oval and Edgbaston and in other sports such as snooker and horse racing, before the scheme was delayed in August.

Upon it being re-introduced, Surrey and Hampshire's T20 Blast match in South London was open to a limited number of members - the first crowd seen at a county match this summer. England's international matches have not been part of any trial. Football and rugby matches have also seen crowds at games.

The hope was that matches during the back-end of the Blast, and even Finals Day itself on October 3, and the finals of the Bob Willis Trophy and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy could have been opened to fans.

But those ambitions appear to have been handed a decisive blow after the latest update from prime minister Boris Johnson.

"We must revise plans to pilot larger audiences later this month and review our intention to return audiences to stadiums and conference centres from October 1," said Mr Johnson

"That does not mean we're going to scrap the programme entirely we just have to review it and abridge it."

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