Essex Agrees 'In Principle' To Play Twenty20 Matches At London's Olympic Stadium

A deal has been agreed "in principle" for Essex County Cricket Club to play Twenty20 cricket at the London Olympic Stadium beginning in '16, according to the BBC. Essex CEO Derek Bowden has said Kent and Middlesex "are also interested in plans to host a T20 festival at the venue." Bowden: "In principle, there is an agreement that a two-week festival of T20-type cricket could be played at the Olympic Park from 2016." Essex first revealed a desire to play cricket at the Olympic Park back in '10. In March '12, the club "launched a failed bid to become a tenant of the stadium" (BBC, 5/22). REUTERS' Ossian Shine reported any decision on whether cricket could also be played at the stadium "will require backing from the London Legacy Development Corporation, the organisation responsible for the future use of the Olympic Park." Bowden: "London Legacy and the ECB (England & Wales Cricket Board) are very supportive of the notion of a two-week festival of cricket in the summer" (REUTERS, 5/22).