YORSKHIRE'S home matches against Durham will form the centrepiece of the Scarborough Festival next season. The teams clash in the County Championship on September 1-4, with the National League match the following day.

Durham's fixtures start 13 days earlier than last season with a three-day match against Durham University at the Racecourse ground, and they also finish early with a Championship match against Leicestershire on September 9-12.

The West Indies are to visit Riverside for a three-day match on August 5-7 if Durham are not involved in the Twenty20 Cup Finals day at Edgbaston.

There will again be one floodlit National League game at Riverside - against Somerset Sabres on August 11.

Durham will be at home to Sussex in the C & G Trophy on May 5 or 6, both teams coming in at the second round stage after finishing in the bottom four of the National League. The winners will entertain Lancashire in the third round.

Membership of Durham starts from £65 for adults and costs only £15 for juniors. Season tickets for the Twenty20 Cup matches are also available, allowing entry to all three home games.

The biggest game at Riverside in 2004 is the NatWest Series One-Day International between England and New Zealand. The match takes place under floodlights on Tuesday, June 29 starting at 2.30pm.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire open their programme with an Easter visit to Bradford Park Avenue in what may be their final appearance on the famous old ground.

They play Bradford-Leeds Universities in a three-day match starting on Easter Saturday, April 10, and they are unlikely to return to the venue again if the universities go ahead with their plan to move their headquarters to Leeds University's ground at Weetwood in 2005.

Yorkshire begin their Frizzell County Championship programme on April 21 with a tough match at Headingley against Essex, who were relegated at the end of last season and both sides are desperate to get back in the top flight again.

Yorkshire have not played Middlesex at Lord's since 1998 and there will be disappointment among the fans that they are to be denied the opportunity of visiting headquarters again next summer - unless Yorkshire reach the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy final.

Yorkshire requested that the National League game between the sides on August 1 should be staged at Lord's but Middlesex have decided to take the match to Southgate.

In the Twenty20 Cup group stages, Yorkshire meet Leicestershire and Lancashire at Headingley and travel to Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Durham.

Yorkshire will play their National League game against Derbyshire at Headingley under floodlights and their match with Leicestershire at Grace Road will also be a day-night affair.

Headingley will stage the second Test between England and New Zealand, starting June 3, and England's NatWest Series game with the West Indies on the ground on July 1 will be floodlit