AFTER the famine the feast. Durham fans were starved of attractive grounds to visit this year, but next season they can sample the delights of Worcester, Arundel and Scarborough.

Another popular venue, Taunton, comes first as it stages the opening LV County Championship match on May 12. Then comes the longest gap in Durham's fixture list as they have to wait until May 26 for their first home game, against Sussex.

The return fixture at Arundel starts on June 15 and Durham will hope the midsummer weather is better than on their only previous visit to the tree-lined ground in 2012.

In Paul Collingwood's first game as captain they fought hard but lost a low-scoring game on a rain-affected pitch by two wickets.

Scarborough will have happy memories for most of the team because victory there in 2013 virtually clinched the title. Next year's clash with Yorkshire at North Marine Road starts on August 7, while the home match begins on June 28.

The experiment of spreading Twenty20 matches around the season, mainly on Friday evenings, has been scaled down, although five of Durham's home games will be on Fridays. Unlike last season, they face a clutch of five successive T20 matches between May 28 and June 6.

Their defence of the Royal London 50-over Cup starts at Northampton on July 25 and Durham should have an easier passage to the last eight than last season, when all four qualifiers from their group reached the semi-finals.

The only other division one sides in their group this time are Yorkshire, Somerset and promoted Worcestershire.

DURHAM FIXTURES 2015

Tues Apr 7 (3 days) Durham MCCU (h) UNI

Sun Apr 12 (4 days) Somerset (a) LVCC1

Sun Apr 26 (4 days) Sussex (h) LVCC1

Sat May 2 (4 days) Middlesex (a) LVCC1

Sun May 10 (4 days) Nottinghamshire (h) LVCC1

Fri May 15 (1 day) Northamptonshire (h) T20

Sun May 17 (4 days) Warwickshire (a) LVCC1

Fri May 22 (1 day) Lancashire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun May 24 (4 days) Worcestershire (a) LVCC1

Thurs May 28 (1 day) Leicestershire (a) T20

Fri May 29 (1 day) Yorkshire (h) T20

Sun May 31 (1 day) Nottinghamshire (a) T20

Fri Jun 5 (1 day) Derbyshire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sat Jun 6 (1 day) Birmingham Bears (h) T20

Sun Jun 7 (4 days) Somerset (h) LVCC1

Fri Jun 12 (1 day) Worcestershire (h) T20

Mon Jun 15 (4 days) Sussex (a) LVCC1

Thurs Jun 25 (1 day) Lancashire (h) T20

Sun Jun 28 (4 days) Yorkshire (h) LVCC1

Fri Jul 3 (1 day) Leicestershire (h) T20

Sun Jul 5 (1 day) Worcestershire (a) T20

Fri Jul 10 (1 day) Yorkshire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jul 12 (4 days) Warwickshire (h) LVCC1

Fri Jul 17 (1 day) Nottinghamshire (h) T20

Sun Jul 19 (4 days) Hampshire (a) LVCC1

Fri Jul 24 (1 day) Northamptonshire (a) T20

Sat Jul 25 (1 day) Northamptonshire (a) 50L

Mon Jul 27 (1 day) Worcesteshire (h) 50L

Wed Jul 29 (1 day) Somerset (a) 50L

Fri Jul 31 (1 day) Surrey (h) 50L

Sun Aug 2 (1 day) Yorkshire (h) 50L

Tues Aug 4 (1 day) Gloucestershire (a) 50L

Thurs Aug 6 (1 day) Leicestershire (a) 50L

Fri Aug 7 (4 days) Yorkshire (a) LVCC1 (Scarborough)

Mon Aug 17 (1 day) Derbyshire (h) 50L

Fri Aug 21 (4 days) Middlesex (h) LVCC1

Tues Sep 1 (4 days) Hampshire (h) LVCC1

Wed Sep 9 (4 days) Nottinghamshire (a) LVCC1

Mon Sep 14 (4 days) Worcestershire (h) LVCC1

YORKSHIRE FIXTURES 2015

Sun Mar 22 (4 days) MCC (n) OTHER (Abu Dhabi)

Tues Apr 7 (3 days) Leeds/Bradford MCCU (h) UNI

Sun Apr 12 (4 days) Worcestershire (a) LVCC1

Sun Apr 19 (4 days) Nottinghamshire (a) LVCC1

Sun Apr 26 (4 days) Warwickshire (h) LVCC1

Sun May 10 (4 days) Hampshire (h) LVCC1

Fri May 15 (1 day) Derbyshire (h) T20 (Floodlit)

Fri May 22 (1 day) Nottinghamshire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun May 24 (4 days) Somerset (a) LVCC1

Fri May 29 (1 day) Durham (a) T20

Fri Jun 5 (1 day) Lancashire (h) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jun 7 (4 days) Middlesex (h) LVCC1

Sun Jun 14 (1 day) Northamptonshire (h) T20

Fri Jun 19 (1 day) Nottinghamshire (h) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jun 21 (1 day) Birmingham Bears (a) T20

Mon Jun 22 (4 days) Nottinghamshire (h) LVCC1

Fri Jun 26 (1 day) Leicestershire (a) T20

Sun Jun 28 (4 days) Durham (a) LVCC1

Fri Jul 3 (1 day) Lancashire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jul 5 (4 days) Warwickshire (a) LVCC1

Fri Jul 10 (1 day) Durham (h) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jul 12 (1 day) Derbyshire (a) T20

Tues Jul 14 (1 day) Worcestershire (h) T20 (Floodlit)

Fri Jul 17 (1 day) Northamptonshire (a) T20 (Floodlit)

Sun Jul 19 (4 days) Worcestershire (h) LVCC1 (Scarborough)

Fri Jul 24 (1 day) Birmingham Bears (h) T20

Sun Jul 26 (1 day) Gloucestershire (h) 50L (Scarborough)

Mon Jul 27 (1 day) Derbyshire (a) 50L (Floodlit)

Wed Jul 29 (1 day) Surrey (a) 50L

Thurs Jul 30 (1 day) Worcestershire (a) 50L

Sun Aug 2 (1 day) Durham (a) 50L

Mon Aug 3 (1 day) Leicestershire (h) 50L

Wed Aug 5 (1 day) Somerset (h) 50L (Scarborough)

Fri Aug 7 (4 days) Durham (h) LVCC1 (Scarborough)

Tues Aug 18 (1 day) Northamptonshire (h) 50L

Fri Aug 21 (4 days) Sussex (a) LVCC1

Tues Sep 1 (4 days) Somerset (h) LVCC1

Wed Sep 9 (4 days) Middlesex (a) LVCC1

Mon Sep 14 (4 days) Hampshire (a) LVCC1

Tues Sep 22 (4 days) Sussex (h) LVCC1