FORMER Notts chief executive David Collier has said the newly-devised domestic cricket schedule has been out together with the fans in mind.
Collier, who is now chief executive of the ECB, has praised the clarity of the new schedule, which will be retained for at least the next four seasons.
The schedule is based on the recommendations of the Morgan Review into the domestic game and extensive customer feedback from more than 25,000 county cricket fans.
One of the major changes is the introduction of the Royal London One Day Cup, a 50-over competition, to replace the Pro40 tournament, which Notts won at Lord's last season.
The new competition will have its group stage condensed into a five-week period from late July and there will be quarter-finals, unlike in the Pro40, with the final at Lord's on September 20.
And as well as changes to the format, more thought has been put into when these matches take place during the course of the six-month campaign.
The start of the season sees a concentration on the County Championship before the Natwest t20 Blast kicks off in mid-May.
"This schedule has been designed to make the needs of the fans our number one priority," said Collier.
"With nearly 70 per cent of T20 group matches scheduled for Friday nights, 67 per cent of County Championship matches commencing on a Sunday and a school summer holiday slot for The Royal London One-Day Cup, this schedule meets the demand from fans for regular 'appointments to view' across all our domestic competitions.
"We welcome Royal London to our family of domestic cricket sponsors for the first time and are also excited about the role the NatWest t20 Blast will play in attracting a wider audience to our county game – with Friday nights providing the perfect opportunity for fans to combine a weekend night out with watching cricket."
And for Mick Newell's Nottinghamshire charges, as reported yesterday at nottinghampost.com, it will all kick off at home against newly-promoted Lancashire in 2014.
This opening County Championship Division One match, on April 6, is the first of five straight matches in the four-day game.
Notts kick off their Natwest t20 Blast competition against the same county on May 16 as they host the first three games of the season on three consecutive Fridays.
May also sees two home County Championship fixtures, while Notts will end the season with back-to-back Division One games at Trent Bridge in September – although their season could be extended if they can reach a one-day final again.
Notts, who will be captained by James Taylor in limited-overs cricket this season, will hope to come through Group B of the Royal London One-Day Cup to make the last eight and the knock-out stages.
But they must get the better of Surrey, Somerset, Kent, Sussex, Glamorgan, Durham, Middlesex and Warwickshire in their group.
In the t20, Notts are in the North group alongside Warwickshire, Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Northants.
Notts / Trent Bridge 2014 schedule:
April 1-3: v Oxford MCCU (pre-season friendly) (a)
April 6-9: v Lancashire (CC) (h)
April 13-16: v Middlesex (CC) (a)
April 27-30: v Warwickshire (CC) (h)
May 4-7: v Somerset (CC) (a)
May 11-14: v Northants (CC) (h)
May 16: v Lancashire (T20) (h)
May 23: v Worcestershire (T20) (h)
May 25-28: v Durham (CC) (h)
May 30: v Durham (T20) (h)
June 1-4: v Sussex (CC) (a)
June 6: v Derbyshire (T20) (a)
June 8-11: v Yorkshire (CC) (a)
June 13: v Warwickshire (T20) (h)
June 15-18: v Middlesex (CC) (h)
June 19: v Leicestershire (T20) (a)
June 20: v Derbyshire (T20) (h)
June 22-25: v Somerset (CC) (h)
June 27: v Worcestershire (T20) (a)
June 28: v Yorkshire (T20) (h)
June 29-July 2: v W'ckshire (CC) (a)
July 4: v Durham (T20) (a)
July 8: v Warwickshire (T20) (a)
July 9-13: England v India Test
July 13-16: v Lancashire (CC) (a)
July 20: v Leicestershire (T20) (h)
July 23: v Northants (T20) (a)
July 25: v Yorkshire (T20) (a)
July 27: v Sussex (50) (a)
July 29: v Somerset (50) (h)
July 30: v Glamorgan (50) (a)
Aug 8: v Kent (50) (a)
Aug 10: v Surrey (50) (h)
Aug 12: v Durham (50) (a)
Aug 14: v Middlesex (50) (a)
Aug 15-18: v Northants (CC) (a)
Aug 20: v Warwickshire (50) (h)
Aug 30: England v India (ODI)
Aug 31-Sept 3: v Durham (CC) (a)
Sept 9-12: v Yorkshire (CC) (h)
Sept 15-18: v Sussex (CC) (h)
