IPSWICH Town are to sharpen up for the new season by playing a cricket match in the town.

An Ipswich Town XI will be playing a Twenty20 game against the town’s top cricket team Ipswich and East Suffolk at Chantry Park on Friday, July 23.

Town played similar Twenty20 games at Chantry Park in 2007 and 2008 and on both occasions big crowds were attracted to see the footballers trying to hit sixes rather than the back of the net.

Ipswich and East Suffolk, who are members of the First Division of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship, won the first encounter with the footballers getting their own back the following year.

Both teams will be looking to get their hands on the trophy with the match this year being played in aid of one of the Championship football club’s nominated charities - the Suffolk Cancer Campaign.

In 2008 over �400 was raised at the cricket game for the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Foundation, with the ex-Town manager being a long-standing vice-president of the cricket club.

Entrance will be free and there will be car parking off London Road leading on to the park.

The start time will be 6.15pm with refreshments available and there will be a chance to meet Portman Road players and staff.

The Ipswich Town team will be decided nearer the time with a number of keen cricketers among the staff.

It will be a busy week at the park as two nights earlier Ipswich and East Suffolk are hosting a Twenty20 cricket game involving members of the Ipswich Witches speedway team with proceeds going to paralysed former Witch Kim Jansson.

A similar game last year raised over �1,000 and it is hoped to top that this time. Witches fan Terry Adams has again agreed to match a pound to every run scored.

Polish members of the Witches team are set to be playing cricket for the first time, which should make for another fun evening - and also for a good cause.