Three of Yorkshire's Division One matches in the PPP healthcare County Championship at Headingley next season will have Friday starts - which means members and fans will have plenty of weekend cricket to look forward to.

The three games allocated Friday starts are the home fixtures with Hampshire, beginning on May 12, Durham (July 7) and the Roses clash (July 28). "We are conscious of the fact that midweek starts in recent years have caused spectators to miss out on watching county cricket at the weekends and the Friday allocations should help to redress the balance", said Yorkshire Chief Executive, Chris Hassell.

Yorkshire begin the 2000 season on Saturday 15 April when they travel to Chester le Street for the first of their zonal matches in the Benson and Hedges Cup against Durham followed by Lancashire (h), Leicestershire (h), Derbyshire (a) and Nottinghamshire (a). There are three groups of six counties with the top two in each plus the two best third placed teams proceeding to the quarter finals with home draws for the group winners and best placed runner up. Yorkshire then open their CGU National League programme with a visit to Worcestershire on Sunday 30 April. Their first PPP healthcare County Championship fixture is against Derbyshire at Headingley, starting on Wednesday May 3.

If the Yorkshire Cricket Board come through their NatWest Trophy second round game against Hampshire CB or Huntingdonshire CB on May 16 they will be at home to the full Yorkshire side in the third round on June 21 - and that match will be staged at St George's Road, Harrogate.

Yorkshire pay their first ever visit to Arundel on Sunday, July 16, when they play Sussex in the CGU National League. The CGU Roses matches at Old Trafford on June 27 and Headingley on August 9 will both be under floodlights as will the game against Kent at Canterbury on September 5.

Headingley stages the fourth Cornhill Insurance Test between England the West Indies, starting on August 17.

Yorkshire's final Championship match of next season will be the last at Southampton as Hampshire will be moving to their new ground for the start of 2001.

For the CGU National Cricket League the format will remain the same at 45 overs but play will commence half an hour earlier at 1.00 pm (12.30 pm in September).

The 150th Anniversary of Roses Cricket was recently celebrated with a Gala Dinner at Headingley attended by many current and former players. Guest of honour was Fred Trueman OBE who received a cut glass claret jug from Chairman, Keith Moss, in recognition of his then record of 307 wickets for England. Doug Padgett at 65 retiring as Yorkshire's coach after more than 40 years service with the Club was also honoured with a cut glass claret jug. Guests were brilliantly entertained by David Lloyd, former England coach, and His Honour Judge Brian Walsh, Recorder of Leeds and a former Chairman of the Club. Proceeds were in aid of the Jamie Hood Appeal Fund. The first ever Roses matches were played in 1849 at Sheffield and Manchester when Yorkshire were victors on both occasions.

Yorkshire have relayed two of the pitches on the Headingley square at a cost of £5 k. Taken down to a depth of 15 inches Head Groundsman, Andy Fogarty, has used Ongar Loam on a base of limestone chippings and is well pleased with the grass covering already established. This is the first pitch reconstruction since his appointment in September 1995 and he is hopeful of producing surfaces with better and more consistent bounce.

For further enquiries please contact:

Chris Hassell, Chief Executive on:

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