Durham begin life in Division Two with home match against Notts

The club were relegated to Division Two despite finishing fourth in the top flight last season, after taking a £3.8million bailout from the ECB.

They start off with a deduction of 48 points, making a promotion challenge unlikely, but will look to chip away at the deficit by winning the first match, against Nottinghamshire at the Emirates Riverside, starting on Good Friday, April 14.

The Chester-le-Street ground will stage a first ever first-class fixture under floodlights when Worcestershire visit, starting on Monday, June 26.

Points deductions also apply in the two limited overs competitions.

The NatWest T20 Blast dominates July and August, with Durham Jets starting at home to Lancashire Lightning on Friday, July 7.

Durham have seven home games in the North Group, with the big visit of Yorkshire scheduled for Friday, August 4.

Durham are at home in their first Royal London One-Day Cup match, too, when Derbyshire come north on Thursday, April 27. The eight group games are played in a block until May 16.

All of the group fixtures are played within a 19-day period in a change to last year’s format.

Durham also have their annual three-day pre-season friendly against the Durham MCCU, starting on Friday, April 7.

DURHAM’S 2017 FIXTURES

Specsavers County Championship, Division Two

Apr 14-17: Notts (Riverside)

Apr 21-24: Gloucs (Bristol)

May 21-24: Sussex (Hove)

May 26-29: Glamorgan (Swansea)

June 2-5: Northants (Riverside)

June 8-11: Kent (Canterbury)

June 19-22: Glamorgan (Riverside)

June 26-29: Worcestershire (Riverside)

July 3-6: Derbyshire (Chesterfield)

Aug 6-9: Leicestershire (Grace Road)

Aug 28-31: Derbyshire (Riverside)

Sep 5-8: Kent (Riverside)

Sep 19: Sussex (Riverside)

Sep 25: Worcestershire (New Road)

Royal London One-Day Cup

Apr 27: Derbyshire (Riverside)

May 1: Warwickshire (Edbaston)

May 3: Yorkshire (Riverside)

May 5: Leicestershire (Riverside)

May 7: Northants (Riverside)

May 11: Notts (Trent Bridge)

May 14: Worcestershire (New Road)

May 16: Lancashire (Riverside)

NatWest T20 Blast

July 7: Lancashire (Riverside)

July 9: Northants (Riverside)

July 20: Leicestershire (Riverside)

July 23: Lancashire (Old Trafford)

July 25: Notts (Riverside)

July 26: Yorkshire (Headingley)

July 28: Leicestershire (Grace Road)

July 30: Worcestershire (New Road)

Aug 4: Yorkshire (Riverside)

Aug 5: Notts (Trent Bridge)

Aug 11: Worcestershire (Riverside)

Aug 13: Birmingham (Riverside)

Aug 15: Derbyshire (Derby)

Aug 18: Northants (Northampton)