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County Cricket: 2015 fixture list confirmed

Yorkshire's players with the Wensleydale Creamery hampers.
Image: 2014 County Champions Yorkshire

County champions Yorkshire will begin the defence of their title at New Road against promoted Worcestershire on the opening day of the 2015 season.

The new campaign will start on Sunday, April 12, with eight matches across the two divisions. Division Two champions Hampshire host Sussex in Southampton while Somerset take on Durham in Taunton and 2014 runners-up Nottinghamshire travel to Lord’s to face Middlesex.

The NatWest T20 Blast begins with eight matches on Friday, May15, including the champions, Birmingham Bears, travelling to midlands rivals Nottinghamshire. Beaten finalists Lancashire, for whom Andrew Flintoff returned after a four-year break last season, take on Leicestershire at Old Trafford in the opening round of matches.

T20 Finals Day will take place at Edgbaston on Saturday, August 29, with the quarter-finals set for the weekend of Friday, August 13, to Sunday, August 15.

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Dave Fulton joins Rob Wotton to look through the County Cricket fixture list for 2015

The Royal London One-Day Cup gets under way over the weekend of July 25 and 26 with the showpiece final taking place at Lord’s on Saturday, September 19. The final round of LV County Championship matches conclude the season the following week.

Analysing the schedule, Sky Sports cricket pundit David Fulton said: "They're right to keep it the same as last year because what you don't want to do is chop and change every year because otherwise players don't know, fans don't know, and the fans in particular need to know when the games are happening.

"Starting on a Sunday with the County Championship, beginning of the season, you get a regular Sunday to Wednesday and then eventually, in mid-May the T20 kicks in on a Friday night, which is great for the clubs because it is good to attract the crowds on a Friday night, a bit like a rugby league feel to it, rather than having three games in four days, which used to happen, 

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They're right to keep it the same as last year because what you don't want to do is chop and change every year because otherwise players don't know, fans don't know, and the fans in particular need to know when the games are happening.
David Fulton

"But the players aren't altogether keen on the four days, because you're playing Red Bull cricket, leaving the ball alone, and then on a Friday night you go and thrash it everywhere and then you're back ionto four day mode, so it's quite tricky to get that balance.

"And then when the 50-over competition kicks in, in the middle of the summer, it all kind of goes a bit haywire and you're going all kinds of different formats and you can also play quite a lot of cricket - I think last year Sussex played about 27 days in July but then only about three days in August."

He highlighted Surrey's 2015 fixture list which only gives them one game at the Oval in August, a 50-over match against Worcestershire, unless they get home quarter finals in the T20 or 50-over competitions.

The fixture schedule also offers county players with England ambitions six rounds of the championship to stake a claim before the First Test against New Zealand on May 21.

Fulton did point out a very crowded international schedule, with England not finishing their tour of the West Indies until May 5 and then having five Ashes Tests in six weeks during July and August.

KEY FIXTURES

OPENING ROUND OF LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION 1

Sunday, April 12 – Wednesday, April 15

Hampshire v Sussex, Ageas Bowl
Middlesex v Nottinghamshire, Lord's
Somerset v Durham, Taunton   
Worcestershire v Yorkshire, New Road

T20 FINALS DAY
Saturday, August 29, Edgbaston

ROYAL LONDON ONE-DAY CUP FINAL
Saturday, September 19, Lord’s

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