ECB announce draw for third round of 2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy

The draw for the third round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy has been made, with the first-class counties joining the minor counties and board elevens who have battled their way through the first two rounds this season. The holders, Yorkshire, travel to play Cambridgeshire who finished third in the Eastern Division of the Minor Counties Championship. Somerset, the runners-up to Yorkshire this year, have a potentially difficult tie in Scotland. The Scots will be playing in the national league in the coming season so will have plenty of opportunity to be up to speed at this level.

There are two instances of counties being drawn to play against their county board elevens - essentially the best club cricketers within the county. Essex and Worcestershire are the two sides involved.

The four teams that finished at the bottom of Division Two of the Norwich Union League in the season just finished are drawn against one another, as is the format in the Cheltenham and Gloucester. Northamptonshire are at home to Middlesex while Sussex travel to Hampshire.

Third round ties are scheduled to be played on May 7th, with the full draw:

Bedfordshire v Warwickshire
Durham CB v Glamorgan
Buckinghamshire v Gloucestershire
Cambridgeshire v Yorkshire
Essex CB v Essex
Kent CB v Derbyshire
Worcestershire CB v Worcestershire
Berkshire v Durham
Lincolnshire v Nottinghamshire
Cornwall v Kent
Staffordshire v Surrey
Scotland v Somerset
Devon v Lancashire
Northumberland v Leicestershire
Northamptonshire v Middlesex
Hampshire v Sussex

The fourth round draw, to be played on May 28th, is as follows:

Northamptonshire or Middlesex v Hampshire or Sussex
Northumberland or Leicestershire v Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire
Berkshire or Durham v Devon or Lancashire
Scotland or Somerset v Staffordshire or Surrey
Cornwall or Kent v Buckinghamshire or Gloucestershire
Worcestershire CB or Worcestershire v Cambridgeshire or Yorkshire
Bedfordshire or Warwickshire v Essex CB or Essex
Durham CB or Glamorgan v Kent CB or Derbyshire

The quarter-finals will be played on 10th and 11th June, the semi-finals on 7th and 9th August, with the final at Lord's on 30th August.