WORCESTERSHIRE skipper Daryl Mitchell has stressed the importance of obtaining early season momentum after the fixtures for the 2016 campaign were confirmed.
Mitchell is looking for a repeat of the impressive start to 2014 when the Pears were promoted to the top flight of the LV= County Championship.
Worcestershire will launch the season with a three-day University match against Oxford MCCU at The Parks before the opening Championship match against Kent at New Road on Sunday, April 10.
“It is always good to get the University game in first as a bit of a pre-season friendly. That is a good thing and The Parks is always a reasonable wicket,” he said.
“It is nice to start at home in the Championship on our own wicket in front of our own fans and also finish at home as well.
“If you could ask, you’d like to start and finish at home.
“It is important to start well. It sets the momentum up for the season. You look to win every game but it’s good to start well.
“In 2014 we won the first game here and won a few of the early games and performed well and got that momentum.
“If we can do that again and perform well in the Championship, and if we can start well in the T20, that will be important as well.”
Worcestershire’s first away Championship clash will be against Gloucestershire on Sunday, April 24 and 32-year-old Mitchell admitted: “I’ve never played a four-day game at Bristol.
“It has always been at Cheltenham. I’ve played one day cricket there so that will be something new for the old man like me!” he added.
WORCESTERSHIRE FIXTURES 2016
MARCH
31, April 1, 2 Oxford MCCU The Parks UNI
APRIL
10,11,12,13 Kent New Road CC2
24,25,26,27 Gloucestershire Bristol CC2
MAY
1,2,3,4 Essex New Road CC2
8,9,10,11 Glamorgan Swalec Stadium CC2
15,16,17,18 Sussex New Road CC2
20 Durham New Road T20B
22,23,24,25 Leicestershire Grace Road CC2
27 Birmingham Edgbaston T20B
29,30,31 June 1 Gloucestershire New Road CC2
JUNE
2 Yorkshire New Road T20B
3 Northamptonshire Wantage Road T20B
5 Derbyshire New Road RLC
7 Yorkshire Headingley RLC
10 Northamptonshire New Road T20B
12 Durham Emirates ICG RLC
15 Leicestershire New Road RLC
17 Leicestershire Grace Road T20B
18 Nottinghamshire New Road T20B
20 Derbyshire 3aaa County Ground CC2
22 England Women v Pakistan Women New Road WODI
24 Lancashire Emirates Old Trafford T20B
30 Durham Emirates ICG T20B
JULY
1 Derbyshire New Road T20B
3,4,5,6 Leicestershire New Road CC2
8 Lancashire New Road T20B
9 Nottinghamshire Trent Bridge T20B
10,11,12,13 Pakistan A v Sri Lanka A New Road TOM
10,11,12,13 Northamptonshire Northampton CC2
15 Birmingham New Road T20B
22 Derbyshire 3aaa County Ground T20B
24 Warwickshire Edgbaston RLC
27 Northamptonshire New Road RLC
29,30 Pakistan New Road TOM
31 Lancashire New Road RLC
AUGUST
1 Nottinghamshire Trent Bridge RLC
3,4,5,6 Kent Canterbury RLC
8,9,10,11 T20 Blast quarter-finals TBC
13,14,15,16 Glamorgan New Road CC2
17,18 RLC quarter finals TBC
20 T20 Blast finals day Edgbaston
23,24,25,26 Northamptonshire New Road CC2
28,29 RLC semi-finals TBC
31, Sept 1,2,3 Essex Chelmsford CC2
SEPTEMBER
12,13,14,15 Sussex Hove CC2
17 RLC final Lord’s
20,21,22,23 Derbyshire New Road CC2