THE ECB has responded positively to Nottinghamshire's request for the fixture programme to be revamped in 2001 - to introduce greater consistency and make cricket more readily accessible.

All Norwich Union NCL matches to be played at Trent Bridge will take place on Sundays - with the exception of the floodlit fixture against Yorkshire on Monday August 13th. Notts have also made a concerted effort to ensure that County Championship matches include play over some part of the weekend.

Said Chief Executive David Collier: "It¹s important for cricket to be made available to as wide a cross section of the public as we possibly can and the changes have been made with this in mind. We have also listened to members who have asked us to provide them with more cricket outside of normal working hours.

"The vast majority of our requests to the ECB for the 2001 fixture programme have been met and the summer appears to be full of very attractive matches. The start of the season is slightly later than in 2000 which we also feel is an advantage."

Notts will launch their season with a Championship fixture against Durham at Trent Bridge on Wednesday April 25th, and face Leicestershire at home in an attractive Benson & Hedges Cup game on Monday April 30th. Their other Trent Bridge Cup fixture is against Lancashire and they play away ties against Yorkshire, Durham and Derbyshire.

The Third Ashes Test is scheduled to take place from August 2nd-6th and there is also a NatWest Series One-Day International at Trent Bridge between Australia and Pakistan on Tuesday June 19th.

The "Weekend of Legends", organised to raise funds for the Pavilion Appeal, is on June 30th and July 1st and features matches between Sir Richard Hadlee's XI and Sir Garfield Sobers' XI and a Masters clash between England and Australia. Additional international cricket to be played in Nottingham in 2001 will include an Under-19 Test between England and the West Indies in August and Pakistan will play British Universities in May.

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