Surrey will begin their 2024 County Championship title defence at Lancashire as the ECB reveal the domestic season calendar… with the T20 Blast Finals Day returning to its traditional September slot

• The ECB revealed their full domestic calendar for the 2024 season on Thursday

County champions Surrey will start their 2024 title defence at Lancashire at Old Trafford after the ECB released the full fixture list for next year’s domestic season.

Surrey won their 22nd County Championship title last season after holding off the challenge of Essex.

Gareth Batty’s side’s pursuit of a third-successive title will start on April 5 with the match at Old Trafford.

Essex will travel to Nottinghamshire for their opening match of the season, while last year’s Division Two champions Durham host Hampshire.

Worcestershire will travel to Warwickshire in their first tie back in Division 1 and Kent welcome Somerset.

County Championship champions Surrey will begin their title defence at Lancashire in April

Four rounds of County Championship fixtures will take place in April, with the season running until September 26.   

The Vitality Blast is scheduled to begin on May 30, with reigning champions Somerset launching their title defence the following day by hosting Essex.

With bitter rivals Lancashire and Yorkshire not in the same County Championship, with the former in Division One and latter in Division Two, it’s not until July 12 until we have a ‘War of the Roses’ clash – via the Vitality Blast. Emirates Old Trafford will be a raucous atmosphere on that Friday night as Lancashire ‘welcome’ their familiar foe. 

The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup will also start in May.

The Charlotte Edwards Cup will be the first tournament to conclude with finals day of the T20 event held on June 22.

Finals day for the Blast will take place on September 14 at Egbaston. Held in mid-July in the past two summers, the move – which will appease staunch supporters – comes partly because the men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States being staged in June.

After the Blast, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy concludes one week later.

The One Day Cup launches on July 24 with the final scheudled to be held at Trent Bridge on September 22.

The final takes place four days before the final matches of the County Championship season, which will start on September 26.

Lancashire (left) and Yorkshire will meet in the T20 Blast on July 12 at Emirates Old Trafford

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