WORCESTERSHIRE are offering free admission to everyone attending the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire later this month.

New Road will open their gates on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28, as part of an initiative to attract families to four-day cricket.

But anyone wanting to take advantage of the scheme must book their tickets in advance via the Worcestershire CCC website.

The idea has stemmed from the commercial team wanting to attract the T20 crowd to the longer format of the game and give them a reason to give it a try.

Sales executive Paul Biggerstaff said: “We thought Bank Holiday Monday was an ideal opportunity for families to try out four-day cricket at New Road.

“We already attract a large family audience to white-ball cricket and in particular the T20 Blast but this is a chance for them to see if Championship cricket could appeal to them as well.

“It is a one-day scheme and admission is absolutely free for all age groups.

“But we do stress that tickets must be booked in advance via the club website in order to take advantage of the scheme.

“The reason behind this is so we can track accurately how many people turn up on the day.

“The club are always open to trying out initiatives which interact with the public and we are hoping people take advantage.”