Canterbury · The Oval · Hove · Chelmsford · Lord's · and beyond
T20: cricket as a night out
A Test match is a seven-hour commitment on a weekday with no fixed ending. A T20 is three hours on a Friday evening under floodlights, finishing at ten, with music between overs and a crowd that is mostly there for the evening rather than the sport. They need completely different transport.
Start to finish, and it ends when it says it will. That single fact makes a T20 booking a straightforward evening job with a set collection time, rather than the open-ended arrangement a Test or a championship day requires.
Why T20 is a different job
If you have booked us for a Test or a county day, almost none of that applies here.
Around 22:00
Unlike every other cricket format, you know when it ends. Set collection times work.
Usually Friday
Which puts it in the same bracket as a gig or a night out rather than a day at the sport.
Like a concert
Rather than drifting out across an afternoon. The exit needs planning.
Substantially
Which is the main argument for not having anyone in the group driving.
Where we take T20 groups
The southern grounds within evening reach of Kent, with the practical difference between them.
| Ground | From north Kent | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kent Cricket, Canterbury | 40–80 min | Our own county side. The obvious one |
| The Kia Oval | 55–85 min | South of the river, no crossing. Surrey Blast nights are large |
| Lord's | 55–105 min | NW8, and busier to leave than the Oval |
| Hove | 90–120 min | Seaside, small ground, and worth the drive on a warm evening |
| Chelmsford | 45–75 min | Over the crossing. Small ground, full house, loud |
| Utilita Bowl | 2h – 2h 40m | Out of town with room, so the exit is the easiest |
How a T20 evening runs
Timings are consistent across grounds, which is what makes these easy to plan.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 17:30–18:00 | Gates open, and the ground fills early for the bars |
| 18:30 or 19:00 | First ball |
| Around 20:00 | Innings break, about fifteen minutes |
| Around 21:45 to 22:00 | Last ball, and it holds to that |
| 22:00 to 22:20 | Everyone leaves at once |
| We collect from 22:15 | Back from the ground, on a road that is moving |
Planning a T20 night
Book it like a gig, not like cricket
This is the whole point of the page. A Test needs an open return, a vehicle holding nearby and a phone call, because nobody knows when play will end. A T20 ends at ten, near enough every time, so we set a collection time and stick to it. It is a simpler and cheaper booking than any other cricket fixture, and it is the format most groups actually want.
Nobody should drive
T20 crowds drink, and the format is designed for it: three hours, music between overs, bars open throughout and a Friday night. Making one person sit through that on lemonade so they can drive home in the dark defeats the object. Split between eight or ten people, a vehicle costs less per head than the round that would have been bought anyway.
The exit is the concert problem, not the cricket problem
At a Test, twenty-five thousand people drift out across an afternoon. At a T20 everyone stands up at the same moment, which is exactly what happens at an arena show. We hold back from the ground where traffic moves rather than immediately outside, and the walk out is usually five to ten minutes depending on the venue.
Canterbury is the easy one
Our own county side, thirty to eighty minutes from most of Kent, and no need to leave the county at all. For a group who want a Friday night at the cricket without a two-hour drive at either end, a Blast night at the St Lawrence Ground is difficult to beat, and it is the cheapest T20 booking we do.
T20 cricket questions
Evening fixtures, fixed finishes.
How long does a T20 last?
About three hours, typically starting at half six or seven and finishing around ten. Unlike every other cricket format it ends when it says it will, which makes a set collection time straightforward.
Which grounds do you cover?
Canterbury, the Oval, Lord's, Hove, Chelmsford and the Utilita Bowl are all within evening reach of Kent, and we will quote for others.
Is it different from booking a Test?
Completely. A Test needs an open return because nobody knows when play ends. A T20 has a fixed finish, so it is a simpler and cheaper evening booking.
What time do you collect?
Usually from about quarter past ten, back from the ground on a road that is moving. Everyone leaves at once at a T20, much like a concert.
Which is the easiest ground from Kent?
Canterbury, our own county side, at thirty to eighty minutes from most of the county with no need to leave it. It is also the cheapest T20 booking we do.
What if it rains?
T20 fixtures can be shortened or abandoned. We agree cancellation terms at booking rather than on the night.
Is it worth going to Hove or the Bowl?
On a warm evening, yes. Hove is a small seaside ground and the Bowl has the easiest exit of any venue on the list, being out of town with room.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking. For a fixed-finish evening fixture nothing is added afterwards.
Cricket grounds and nights out
The evening fixtures and the venues.