County Championship winners Durham will begin the defence of their title against Northamptonshire on April 13.

The 2014 fixtures have been released, with the current champions taking on the newly promoted side one week after Division Two winners Lancashire get their campaign underway.

Lancashire, who secured promotion to the top flight at the end of the season, will travel to Nottinghamshire for their opening clash on April 6.

ECB chief executive David Collier said: "This schedule has been designed to make the needs of the fans our number one priority.

"With nearly 70% of T20 group matches scheduled for Friday nights, 67% of LV= 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."

The Natwest T20 gets underway on May 16, while the Royal London One-Day Cup will be held on July 26.