Record Crowd Due At Edgbaston For FLt20 Opener

Edgbaston Stadium is expecting a record attendance for a Friends Life t20 fixture when the Warwickshire Bears entertain the Worcestershire Royals this coming Friday (15 June) before spectators can watch England take on Sweden in the European Championships live on big screens.

Following a free tickets initiative in association with Marston's Pedigree, the official Beer of Warwickshire and Worcestershire County Cricket Clubs, Edgbaston is expecting a near capacity 25,000 crowd for the local derby match, which starts at 5.10pm.

In order to cater for the needs of the record attendance, Edgbaston has made FREE car parking available before 4pm (£5 thereafter) at the nearby Birmingham Nature Centre, Cannon Hill Park RedGra, Eastern Road and Priory School sites.

Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Edgbaston Stadium, said: "The opportunity to see one of domestic cricket's biggest local derby matches followed by an England match in the European Championships makes for a fantastic evening, which I'm sure our capacity crowd will enjoy.

"However, despite all general tickets being sold out, sports fans can still guarantee a seat on Friday by purchasing a Season Pass, which provides entry to all five of the Warwickshire Bears Friends Life matches at Edgbaston at just £35 for adults and £10 for under 16s."

Gates at Edgbaston open at 3pm this Friday, with its food kiosks and bars open until 11pm following the football and entertainment. Before the Bears get underway against the Royals, spectators will be able to have their photo taken and appear in the special 'Wiggle Wicket' animation video.

Warwickshire's four additional group games in the Friends Life t20 are:

* V Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Tuesday 19 June

* V Somerset, Thursday 21 June

* V Gloucestershire Gladiators, Friday 6 July

To book tickets or to purchase a Warwickshire Friends Life t20 Season Pass, please visit www.edgbaston.com/tickets.