South coast opener for Northants as they start 2024 season at Sussex

The match is the first of seven four-day games to be played before the end of May, before attention turns to the Vitality T20 Blast.

The T20 will this year be spread further throughout the summer rather than in a shorter block, and all the County Ground matches will be played on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The Steelbacks play their first North Group game on May 30 at home to Derbyshire, and then finish on a Friday night at Lancashire on July 19.

Finals day at Edgbaston has been moved from July back to the middle of September.

The Metro Bank One Day Cup group games will be played between July 24 and August 11, with the quarter-finals on August 16, the semi-finals on August 18 and the final at Trent Bridge on Sunday, September 22 .

Going back to the Championship, there will be two Championship matches played in June and two in August, before the season is rounded off with three matches in September.

John Sadler’s men finish the campaign with a trip to Headingley to play Yorkshire on September 26.

The County follow up the opening trip to Hove with successive home games against Middlesex (April 12) and Glamorgan (April 19).

Their other matches in the first block of Championship fixtures, which all start on a Friday, are Leicestershire at Grace Road (April 26), Gloucestershire at Wantage Road (May 10), Derbyshire in Derby (May 17) and Yorkshire (May 24) at the County Ground.

The Blast starts in a rush for the Steelbacks.

They kick off the campaign with a Thursday night home clash with Derbyshire, before going to Trent Bridge the following day to take on Notts Outlaws the following night and then hosting Yorkshire Vikings on Sunday, June 2.

After that hectic start, the matches are spread out, with three of the other five home matches being staged on Fridays, one on a Thursday and another on a Sunday.

The Blast quarter-finals will be played between September 3-6, with Finals Day on September 14.

In the Metro One Day Cup, the Steelbacks have been grouped with Derbyshire, Hampshire, Middlesex, Durham, Worcestershire Rapids, Somerset, Lancashire and Kent.

Northants Fixtures 2024

Home fixtures in bold

LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two

Friday, April 5: Sussex - The 1st Central County Ground

Friday, April 12: Middlesex - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, April 19: Glamorgan - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, April 26: Leicestershire - Grace Road

Friday, May 10: Gloucestershire - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, May 17 Derbyshire - Derby

Friday, May 24 Yorkshire - County Ground, Northampton

Sunday, June 23 - Glamorgan - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Sunday, June 30: Sussex - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, August 23: Middlesex - venue TBC

Thursday, August 29: Gloucestershire - Bristol

Monday, September 9: Derbyshire - County Ground, Northampton

Tuesday, September 17 Leicestershire - County Ground, Northampton

Thursday, September 26: Yorkshire - Headingley

Vitality Blast Fixtures 2024

Thurs, May 30: Derbyshire Falcons - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, May 31: Notts Outlaws - Trent Bridge

Sunday, June 2: Yorkshire Vikings - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, June 7: Worcestershire Rapids - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, June 14: Derbyshire Falcons - Derby

Sunday, June 16: Worcestershire Rapids - New Road

Thursday, June 20: Birmingham Bears - Edgbaston

Friday, June 21: Leicestershire Foxes - County Ground, Northampton

Friday July 5: Lancashire Lightning - County Ground, Northampton

Sunday, July 7: Durham - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, July 12: Leicestershire Foxes - Grace Road

Sunday, July 14: Durham - Riverside

Thurs, July 18: Birmingham Bears - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, July 19: Lancashire Lightning - Old Trafford

Blast quarter-finals: September 3-6

Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston: Saturday, September 14

Metro Bank One Day Cup Fixtures 2024

Wednesday, July 24: Derbyshire - County Ground, Northampton

Friday, July 26: Hampshire - Ageas Bowl

Monday, July 29: Middlesex - Lord’s

Friday, August 2 : Durham - Riverside

Sunday, August 4: Worcestershire Rapids - County Ground, Northampton

Wednesday, August 7: Somerset - County Ground, Northampton

Sunday, August 11: Lancashire - County Ground, Northampton

Wednesday, August 14: Kent - County Ground, Beckenham

One Day Cup quarter-finals: August 16

Semi-final: August 18

Final at Trent Bridge: Sunday, September 22