Middlesex will play two of their home games in next year’s Vitality Blast at Chelmsford, Essex’s home stadium, in a bid to ease increasing financial pressures on the club.

Middlesex, who lease their main venue, Lord’s, from MCC, have recently used Radlett Cricket Club and Merchant Taylors’ School near Watford as their preferred grounds.

However, with the club embroiled in a long-running legal dispute with its former chief executive Richard Goatley, and having been fined £150,000 for financial mismanagement by the ECB in September (£100,000 of which was suspended until October 2025) , current CEO Andrew Cornish has confirmed further cost-cutting measures.

“We have done everything we can to be transparent and open with our members when discussing the financial situation the club finds itself in, and in the future we must continue to take all the measures we can to ensure that we remain rigorous in our control of club costs.” Cornish said in a statement on Middlesex’s website.

“The cost of establishing outdoor venue infrastructure is a significant liability that the club has historically had to factor into our financial model each year, increasingly so in recent seasons with the improvements we have made to the fan experience. members abroad. land parties.”

As a result, Middlesex will play home matches in Chelmsford against Kent on May 31 and Gloucestershire on July 18, plus a third visit to face Essex on June 2, where they will be the away team. They are due to play a Blast match at Radlett against Hampshire on July 6, as well as a couple of One-Day Cup games in August, when Lord’s will be in use for the Hundred.

“As we continue to look at every cost the club incurs, outdoor facility costs stand out as an area where we could have a significant positive impact,” Cornish added.

“As a result, we have been talking to our friends at Essex who have been very receptive to the idea of ​​hosting us at the Cloud County Ground for two of our Blast matches this year.”