News

Durham to begin title defence against Essex

Durham will launch their bid for a third consecutive County Championship title by taking on the newly-promoted Essex at Chester-le-Street

Cricinfo staff
19-Nov-2009
Durham will launch their bid for a third consecutive County Championship title by taking on the newly-promoted Essex at Chester-le-Street, after the ECB announced the fixtures for the 2010 season.
Durham, who won the title for the first time in their history in 2008, successfully defended the title under the captaincy of Will Smith the following season. They will once again take part in the traditional season curtain-raiser at Lord's, a three-day match against MCC, with the dates yet to be confirmed.
Elsewhere on the schedule, Monty Panesar will begin a new chapter of his first-class career when Sussex take on Glamorgan at Cardiff on April 9, before returning to his old county, Northamptonshire, on May 18. And Northants will be the first opponents for Matthew Hoggard, in his new capacity as Leicestershire's captain.
A total of 151 Twenty20 matches reflect the new dominance of that format of the game, with the showcase once again being finals day, which will take place this year at Hampshire's Rose Bowl on August 14. And with no 50-over cricket on the schedule, the new ECB 40 League gets underway on April 25 and runs through to the final at Lord's on September 18.
For a full list of fixtures, click here.