​Fans encouraged to act fast as Vitality Blast tickets go on-sale

• Universal On-Sale for Vitality Blast tickets opened at 10am today
• Fans are urged to act fast to buy tickets with this summer’s Vitality Blast starting earlier in May with the first week also set to feature plenty of the fast-selling derbies.
• Vitality Blast Finals Day has already sold out in record time.
• 110 of the 126 group games will be played on a Thursday or Friday night, or at the weekend, to provide the perfect social occasion for friends and colleagues.

Fans across the country are being urged to move quickly to snap up tickets for this summer’s Vitality Blast after the Universal On-Sale for Group Stage tickets opened at 10am today.

General Admission tickets for this season’s Vitality Blast Finals Day have already sold out in record time and, after record-breaking attendances across the 18 first-class counties last summer, fans are increasingly having to move fast to get the tickets they want.

This summer’s Vitality Blast will start earlier than in recent seasons, in May, while the opening week of the competition is set to feature plenty of the big-ticket derbies that traditionally sell out.

With more matches to be played in prime-time slots – 110 of the 126 Group Stage matches will be staged on a Thursday or Friday night, or at the weekend – the Vitality Blast will provide the ideal summer social outing for friends and colleagues. Fans are also encouraged to contact their local county cricket club for deals on group bookings.

Captain of defending champions Essex Eagles, Simon Harmer, said: “There is something special about the atmosphere at Vitality Blast matches with each ground having its own unique little characteristics whether it’s at Chelmsford or Finals Day at Edgbaston.

“With more matches under lights and on weekends this season it’s probably only going to enhance that even more. I can’t wait for the competition.

“The Blast crowds seem to get bigger every year so hopefully we get to play in front of even more fans and put on a good show for them and most importantly get back to Finals Day!”

Opening night of this summer’s Vitality Blast will feature a London derby between Surrey and Middlesex at The Kia Oval after the clubs set a record attendance of 27,773 for an English domestic T20 last season.

This will be followed by a host of derby matches on the opening Friday night including the ‘el clasicoast’ clash between Hampshire and Sussex Sharks, who played in the first-ever domestic T20, at the Ageas Bowl.

Last month, Sussex sold out their Blast Pass season tickets in record time while Hampshire have also announced record-breaking early-bird ticket sales.

The opening week of the Vitality Blast will also see Somerset’s powerful batting line-up host Gloucestershire, Yorkshire Vikings entertain Lancashire Lightning in the first Game of Roses at Emerald Headingley, before Derbyshire Falcons will aim for successive sell-outs against rivals Notts Outlaws in their Friday night clash at the Pattonair County Ground.

Vitality Blast offers thrilling action on your doorstep as local rivals battle it out. It’s the perfect setting for friends and colleagues to make the most of the summer.

To get your social calendar sorted, buy tickets for you and your group via the ticket page of your county team or click on the following link: www.ecb.co.uk/vitalityblasttickets

You can also download all of your team’s Vitality Blast fixtures to your digital calendar via this link: https://sync.ecal.com/button/v1/schedule/?widgetId=5daf81f5e344057f088b4567&apiKey=55212b5b5ddd0fe6670169eff16a342a5daeff8332c32&category=England%2CCounty%20Championship%2CRoyal%20London%20Cup%2CThe%20Hundred%2CVitality%20Blast&utm_source=ECAL&utm_medium=ECB%20Press%20Release&utm_campaign=ECAL%20Digital%20Calendar

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Vitality Blast

The Vitality Blast Group Stage games will be played during a seven-week block beginning on Thursday, May 28. Finals Day will be staged at Edgbaston on Saturday, September 5. General Admission tickets for Finals Day sold out in record time last October, just over two weeks after last summer’s Finals Day.

Average attendances for the Vitality Blast group matches rose 15% last summer and are now up 47% over the past five years. The opening week of the Blast last summer saw 65,000 advanced tickets sold – the most in a single week in the history of the tournament.

Nearly 950,000 fans attended a domestic T20 match last season, inclusive of the Vitality Blast and Kia Super League.