County Championship cricket games on weekends for eight consecutive rounds
The County Championship will begin with eight consecutive rounds of games across weekends.
The move is hoped to assist fans in being able to get to more days of the four-day format.
Games across weekdays in the past have seen low attendances.
“The County Championship will begin with eight consecutive rounds played from Friday-Monday each week in April and May, to allow more opportunity for members and fans to attend at weekends,” an England and Wales Cricket Board statement read.
“The County Championship will return with back-to-back rounds in June and July, when each county will play one home match and one away match.
“The two rounds will provide the opportunity for England Men’s players to prepare ahead of the Test summer, which begins on July 10 against West Indies at Lord’s.
“There will be two County Championship rounds at the end of August before the title run-in during September.”
It came as the ECB confirmed the fixture lists for the 2024 calendar year.
The calendar is congested with four domestic competitions – four-day, one-day, T20 and The Hundred – as well as international schedules.
First round of County Championship fixtures
Division One
- Durham v Hampshire
- Kent v Somerset
- Lancashire v Surrey
- Nottinghamshire v Essex
- Warwickshire v Worcestershire
Division Two
- Derbyshire v Gloucestershire
- Middlesex v Glamorgan
- Sussex v Northamptonshire
- Yorkshire v Leicestershire