WORCESTERSHIRE have been handed a home start when they return to LV County Championship Division Two in April.

The County will entertain Middlesex on April 9 as the 2010 domestic campaign gets under way.

New Road chief executive Mark Newton is hopeful members and supporters will be much happier with the make-up of this year’s fixture list with all but one of their home Friends Provident Twenty20 Cup matches being played on Fridays or Sundays.

Also, all Worcestershire’s home ECB 40 League games take place on Sun-days or bank holiday Mondays.

The County headquarters will host England Lions in a triangular tournament with New Zealand ‘A’ and India ‘A’ with the final also being at New Road in early July.

Worcestershire will also take on the touring Pakistan team at New Road in a two-day contest starting on Friday, August 13.

In all, New Road will host 51 days of cricket in 2010.

“The fixture list is much more member and spectactor friendly,” Newton said. “We are absolutely delighted with it all.

“It is also pleasing to host the England Lions again as well as taking on Pakistan.”

The County Championship season begins on April 9 and will run through until September 16 when Worcester-shire host Sussex.

The New Road side will visit Cheltenham and Colwyn Bay in the Championship to face Gloucestershire and Glamorgan respectively.

In the ECB 40 League, which begins with a visit from Sussex on Sunday, May 25, there is a trip to Bath to face Somerset.

The Recreational XI have yet to name their venues for the summer, while the venue for Worcestershire’s final group game away at Lancashire on Saturday, September 4, has yet to be decided.

The semi-finals and the Lord’s final will be played on the following two weekends.

The revamped Twenty20 Cup has been divided into North and South groups with the County in the North section. The tournament will be played throughout June and July with finals day on Saturday, August 14.

Worcestershire will also be at home for a three-day University game against Leeds/Bradford UCCE, beginning on April 15. However, the County are deciding whether to keep the match at New Road or take it to Kidderminster.