With festival cricket under threat from the reduction in championship cricket the ECB have stepped in to preserve the much loved tradition. From next year festival cricket will be played in Dubai in March with Kent hosting the Tunbridge Wells festival, Gloucestershire the Cheltenham festival, Essex Colchester and Yorkshire Scarborough. ECB Domestic Operations Chief Facilitator in Chief Tarquin Greaseball said, "we know that festival cricket holds a special place in the hearts of our more traditional stakeholders but cricket cannot stand still and we need to reboot the concept for the 21st century so with that in mind we propose that counties play a series of practice games in the Emirates each March under the festival banner. We will make every effort to recreate the magic of the old festival venues by importing ice cream vans and fish and chips from the UK and in the case of Yorkshire's Scarborough festival penciled in for Abu Dhabi there will be no shortage of sand ! We look forward to welcoming both men and their dog to the games next year"
