Hampshire are hoping to return to the Isle of Wight after a 53-year absence.

The Royal London One-Day Cup (50-over) game against Lancashire on Monday, August 17 – two days after Cowes Week – has been earmarked as the first county match to be played at Newclose, near Newport.

Officially opened in 2009, Newclose was conceived and created by the late Brian Gardener, a cricket enthusiast who with the help of a National Sports Foundation grant, spent £2m turning farmland into his field of dreams.

He sadly died two months ago, aged 73, but next week Hampshire hope to confirm that his creation will stage the county’s first game on the Island since their last game at Cowes in 1962.

Newclose is a spectacular setting with a £900,000 pavilion, state- of-the-art electronic scoreboard and room for 2,600 cars.

It will be confirmed as Hampshire’s newest venue and their first outground since the county’s last match at Basingstoke in 2010, subject to a final logistical check on Monday by James Cole, the Ageas Bowl’s facilities and stadium development manager, and commercial director Stuart Robertson.

“We’re looking at Newclose very enthusiastically , we have a strong support base on the Island and hope to confirm our first game there soon,” said Robertson.