TEESSIDE cricket fans can enjoy their first derby of the season when Yorkshire travel to Durham for a Friends Provident Trophy clash on April 20.

Durham are, of course, the holders of the trophy and will be determined to put up a solid defence of what is their first ever major honour.

The fixture was one of many exciting games that the new 2008 fixture list has thrown up.

Yorkshire’s County Championship season starts on April 23 with the visit of Ausssie spin king Shane Warne’s Hampshire to Headingley Carnegie.

The Tykes’ annual visit to the east coast takes the form of a four-match Scarborough Festival fortnight, starting with a NatWest Pro40 encounter with Kent on Monday, August 25.

There are several Roses battles to look forward to during the 2008 season with the home and away Friends Provident Trophy ties against Lancashire taking place in May.

The return leg takes place on Wednesday, May 28, and is followed on the Friday by the Roses championship match in what is shaping up to be the Headingley Roses week of cricket.

The Twenty20 Cup has been altered to allow each side to play home and away legs against every other county in their regional group, necessitating an extra fixture at Headingley.

There are home Twenty20 fixtures against Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Durham.

Durham’s first County Championship match of the season starts on Wednesday, April 23, when Surrey visit the Riverside.

The four day competition concludes with a visit to Canterbury to play Kent on Wednesday, September 24.

On Wednesday, June 11, Durham Dynamos take on Derbyshire Phantoms in the first of five home Twenty20 matches in just 16 days.

The Dynamos have home Friday day/night matches against Leicestershire Foxes on June 20 and Lancashire Lightning on June 27.

One of the highlights of the domestic season will be the home floodlit match against Somerset Sabres on Wednesday, July 23.