Barnard in buoyant mood as Rothesay County Championship returns

Ed Barnard is looking forward to the return of the Rothesay County Championship after a nine-week break, with Warwickshire in contention for a first title since 2021.

2026-08-19T16:30+01:00

The Bears take on Sussex at Edgbaston Stadium on Thursday 20 August with play starting at 11:00am, in the first of six remaining fixtures in the competition.

Barnard’s team currently sit third in a congested Division One table, just five points behind leaders and defending champions Nottinghamshire.

The visit of Sussex sees four-day cricket return, and Barnard is pleased to be back amongst the squad.

“It’s been really nice to be back to see everyone and to get the whole group back together,” he said.

“It’s going to be exciting with six weeks left of the season. It's going to be hectic, but everyone is looking forward to it.

“We've had a few days to get back, hit some red balls and get our heads back around it. It's been a nice little gap for everyone. We've had a couple of days training ahead of the game, so I think everyone will be ready come Thursday.”

Warwickshire’s fixture against Sussex is the first of two consecutive home fixtures in the County Championship for the Bears, before three away games, and a final home match to conclude the campaign.

Barnard, who is in his first year as Club Captain, says there is a long way to go, but that the team is exactly where they want to be with six games remaining.

“I think to have these first two games back at home, back at Edgbaston, is really big for us,” he added. “Hopefully we can get two good results to set us up for that back end of the season.

“It'll be nice to get the members back in. I know that the support was brilliant at Rugby School for the 50 over stuff, but I'm sure the members especially will be happy to have some red ball cricket back.

“I think there's an opportunity if we play some good cricket to be up near the top towards the end of the season, but there's a lot of cricket still to be played.

“We said at the start of the season that we wanted to get to this last six in contention, which we are. We've got pretty much a full squad available to pick from as well, and with the two overseas coming in, it’s really exciting. Fingers crossed we can do something special.”