Yorkshire, back in the First Division of the County Cham-pionship, face a tough start to their programme next season.

They open up with a visit to holders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, beginning on April 19.

And Yorkshire should soon know if they have sufficient firepower to stay in the top flight because three of their first four championship games are away.

Yorkshire's 2006 season gets underway on Saturday, April 15 with a three-day friendly against Leeds-Bradford Uni-versities' Centre of Excell-ence at Headingley, where the first home championship match will be staged against Sussex, starting on May 3.

The championship next year will be played under the

banner of Liverpool Victoria, parent company of previous sponsors Frizzell, and two teams will now be promoted and relegated instead of three.

The biggest changes, however, occur in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy and the one-day league, which resorts to its original 40-over format but the popular Twenty20 Cup will continue on the same lines.

In the C&G Trophy, the 18 first-class counties have been divided into two conferences (North and South), with Scot-land competing in the North and Ireland in the South.

Apart from the final, all games will be played in the first half of the season and the top side from each conference will play in the final at Lord's on August 26.

The plum game for York-shire will be the battle of the Roses at Headingley on Sunday, May 28.