CALDICOT Castle and Tredegar House will be stops on the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy’s tour of England and Wales ahead of this year’s tournament.

The trophy is set to make its way to Gwent on Tuesday, May 7, taking in the two popular tourist attractions before heading west and then to the north of the principality.

The 2019 World Cup gets under way at The Oval in London on May 30 when England take on South Africa – the event is being staged in England and Wales.

Cardiff will host four group games during June and more than 3,000 school children are going to be given free tickets to see the world’s top cricketers in action.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) plan to use the World Cup to boost participation across the country and inspire up to one million young people.

Mims Davies, UK minister for sport and civil society, said: “This summer, Wales will host some of the best cricketers in the world.

“With 1.5 billion people expected to tune in, it is right that we maximise this chance to grow the sport and boost participation across the country.

“It really is a golden opportunity for Wales to take its chance, shine on the international stage and get more young people watching and playing cricket.

“There are few countries that can match the passion of Welsh sports fans.

“This is a great chance to show once more why Wales is a fantastic host of some of the biggest sporting events in the world.”

Five of the world’s top 10 one-day teams will play at Cardiff Wales Stadium, including England versus Bangladesh on Saturday, June 11.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka is the first match played at the venue on June 1, before which the trophy will be toured across Wales from May 4-9, covering open cricket events, festivals and school visits in Cardiff, Porthcawl, Caerphilly and Pembroke.

It forms part of a tour taking in over 100 stops in more than 20 towns and cities across the length and breadth of Wales and England before the start of the tournament.