Yorkshire Carnegie will make the trip to the United Arab Emirates in March 2009 to defend the Pro Arch Trophy title they won in pre-season this year.
The format of the competition has changed for 2009 to include eight teams playing in two groups of four. The winners of each group will contest the final while the other teams will play the team from that finished in the same position in the other group to decide their final standing.
Although the other teams contesting the Pro Arch Trophy are yet to be confirmed it is understood that Yorkshire Carnegie will have to overcome Lancashire, Middlesex, Essex, Sussex, Surrey, the UAE national team and an Emirates All-Star XI if they are to replicate their trophy winning start to the 2008 season.
The 50-over tournament, played in the same format as the Friends Provident Trophy, will take place in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi between March 17th and March 25th 2009. The Emirates All-Star XI, the third new addition to the competition, along with Surrey and Middlesex, is likely to include a variety of sub-continental cricket stars among their number.
Yorkshire Chief Executive, Stewart Regan, said: “We are looking forward to spending another pre-season in the UAE and I’m sure the team will be keen to defend their Pro Arch title. Last season’s successful tour provided us with an exceptional foundation to take into the domestic season. The practice facilities and guaranteed weather make it an excellent place to get ready for the summer ahead and our one-day performances in particular definitely benefited from our Abu Dhabi preparation in 2008.”
Yorkshire’s itinerary for the competition is yet to be confirmed, but details will be posted on www.yorkshireccc.com as soon as the information is available, along with news and travel information for those wishing to follow the Yorkshire side to the UAE.