SOMERSET face a challenging start to the 2016 cricket season when they head to the north-east to face Durham in the County Championship on Sunday April 10.

Matt Maynard’s men then entertain Cardiff MCCU at Taunton Vale on April 17 before travelling to play newly-promoted Surrey in the championship at the Oval a week later.

Somerset open their home campaign on Sunday May 1, the Bank Holiday weekend when they host Lancashire, also in the championship.

A week later they travel to Edgbaston to play Warwickshire before entertaining the reigning champions Yorkshire on May 15.

The NatWest T20 Blast season gets underway with a trip to Canterbury to face Kent on Friday May 20 and Somerset begin their home fixtures in the short form of the game on Friday June 3 when Essex care the visitors to Taunton.

Director of cricket, Matt Maynard said: “The fixtures don’t look too bad to me at a first glance.

“The ECB have obviously looked at concerns of playing a T20 one day and then starting a four day match championship with different skills, so they have actually put some T20 and 50 over league games together, so it’s interesting to see how it all pans out.

“I think there may well be some tough periods where we have a lot of travelling and then the intensity of the one day game, but it looks a bit better than last year and there is hopefully it is more spectator friendly for our terrific fans.”

Other highlights in 2016 include an ODI between England Women and Pakistan on June 27 and a three-day match against Pakistan starting on July 3.