BERKSHIRE are to play at Wargrave Cricket Club for the first time this year.

The county will meet Staffordshire in their opening home game in the one-day knock-out cup, which they won last year.

James Morris’ side start their defence of the trophy with an away tie against neighbours Oxfordshire at Bicester on Sunday, April 27.

The game at Wargrave will be played on Sunday, May 11.

The Berkshire management are delighted to be playing at Wargrave, an ambitious Thames Valley Cricket League club who have worked hard to improve facilities at their Recreation Road ground in recent seasons.

Another first for Berkshire will be a trip to Home Counties Premier League Division Two club Dinton to play Buckinghamshire in their third cup group game on May 18.

A week later they take on Herefordshire at Kidmore End.

The one-day competition has been renamed the Unicorns Counties Knock Out Trophy, with the final again being played at Sir Paul Getty’s ground at Wormsley in Buckinghamshire on Wednesday, August 27.

The three-day championship, also pre-fixed by Unicorns Counties, gets under way on Sunday, June 8 when Berkshire host Cornwall at Henley.

They then take on Wales Minor Counties at Usk on June 22-24, followed by Wiltshire at Falkland CC on July 6-8 and Herefordshire at Finchampstead on July 20-22.

Berkshire face Oxon at Great and Little Tew CC on August 3-5, before completing their Western Division fixtures against Devon at Exmouth on August 17-19.

The Royal county will warm up for the season with their annual challenge game with Wiltshire for the Marlborough Cup.

It will be played at Trowbridge on Sunday, April 13.

BERKSHIRE’S Heather Knight smashed an unbeaten 123 in England’s warm-up match in Perth ahead of the Women’s Ashes series, which starts on Friday.

The 23-year-old’s top score helped England to a total of 386 against Australia A.

She struck 20 fours from 174 deliveries before retiring undefeated.

England went on to draw the match ahead of the multi-format Ashes series.

The four-day Test is followed by three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 games.