YORK CC secretary Nick Kay has expressed his delight that Yorkshire matches will be returning to Clifton Park in 2023.

Yorkshire’s fixture list for next season was confirmed on Wednesday and revealed that two Royal London One-Day Cup matches would be held in York.

The clashes against Surrey and Hampshire, to take place on Tuesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 17 (both 11am), will be staged at Clifton Park.

The decision for the White Rose to head back to York follows the record crowd of around 4,500 that turned out for the seven-wicket One-Day Cup defeat to Lancashire last season.

That smashed the previous best attendance of approximately 3,200 for the three wicket defeat to Warwickshire in the LV= Insurance County Championship division one in 2019.

“We were hopeful after the success of the summer that Yorkshire would consider us again,” revealed Kay.

“We’ve got no written or formal staging agreement with them, we’re relying on their goodwill.

“They were such good events last August, certainly the Roses game, and they were so well-attended.

“We felt that there was a real appetite from the Yorkshire members to support cricket here in York.

“On that basis, we were always quite confident we’d be retained as a ground for a couple of 50-over matches and that’s proved to be the case.

“They’re two really good fixtures in Surrey and Hampshire, we’re delighted with that.

“Surrey played here a couple of years ago and it was a good atmosphere with a good crowd, so hopefully it’ll be the same again next year.

“Hopefully we’ll have another great couple of days at York.”

While Headingley very much remains Yorkshire’s primary home, the county have, like several others, been keen to use the region’s other venues that can offer a more intimate atmosphere.

“I’m a huge advocate of out-grounds,” added Kay. “Scarborough is my favourite place to watch cricket, it’s wonderful there.

“A number of other counties are supporting out-grounds to hold 50-over and county matches.

“You get a different atmosphere there and the spectators can get a lot closer to the players than you can compared to the big Test match grounds.

“Here at York, we’re very lucky that we can put in place temporary stands, concessions and on-site parking. From our perspective, it works really well.

“I’d like to think games at York would attract as good a crowd if not more than if these matches were at Headingley or another Test match ground.

“It’s something different from the membership and as long as we can keep putting on a good show, we can hold onto these games in the future.”

Kay hopes that the Clifton Park fixtures against Surrey and Hampshire can appeal to families as well as ardent Yorkshire fans.

“Last year was great because we had lots of children there and it was a real family day out,” he recalled.

“I hope that next year it doesn’t just bring the hardened cricket supporters but also children.

“We want to engage young girls and boys in the game and I really hope we can make a good family day out of it.

“Hopefully people can get there early, enjoy a fabulous atmosphere with plenty of food outlets and really make a day of it.”