Roses rivals face off

Rivalry resumes © Lancashire County Cricket Club

Lancashire and Yorkshire are ready to declare war on each other as both counties continue their pre-season preparation with two matches next week.

The cross-Pennine foes will contest two Roses friendlies at Old Trafford from April 7-9 – but they will be friendly in name only.

Lancashire got the better of the five encounters between the two clubs last season, winning three of the matches, whilst one was drawn and the other abandoned.

Players from both counties met at the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds in February to recreate their own “War of the Roses” battle scene which has become the centrepiece of a new marketing drive.

“It’s become a bit a sleeping giant of a fixture,” said Rebecca Trbojevich, Lancashire’s communications manager.

Lancashire and Yorkshire have fun on location at Leeds Armouries © Lancashire County Cricket Club

“We’re hoping that these images will conjure up the sense of history between the two great clubs and put Roses matches firmly in people’s minds when the summer rolls around.”

Their sporting rivalry goes back to 1867 when they first played each other in a three-day match at Whalley Cricket Club, with Yorkshire winning by an innings and 56 runs.

Since then, matches between the two have captured the imagination of people around the world, leading to sell out crowds on both sides of the county border.

Gone are the days where 40,000 people crammed into the grounds to witness the excitement of a Roses fixture, with the introduction of health and safety regulations.

But this season, both Lancashire and Yorkshire have embarked on a push to reignite the hype of these special sporting encounters.

The marketing campaign will include a specially-designed Roses logo, outdoor posters, newspaper and magazine adverts, online banners, email blasts, internal publications and their very own “Roses” website - www.rosescricket.com.