Carlisle Cricket Club will start the North Lancashire and Cumbria League Premier Division season with a trip to reigning champions Workington.

The opening games in the reorganised league structure will be on April 21, a week earlier than last year.

The concluding games are scheduled for Saturday, September 15 and it’s a reverse of the opening games with Carlisle hosting Workington.

Keswick start at home to Haverigg, while Wigton host Cleator.

Including Haverigg, there are four extra teams in the Premier Division, all promoted from Division One.

Champions Millom take on Cockermouth in south Cumbria. Lindal Moor entertain Furness, while Whitehaven travel to Dalton who finished bottom of the Premier Division but were not relegated.

The new-look Division One programme gets under way on May 5 with 10 teams participating, including newcomers Barrow who have decided to enter their 2nd XI in the North Lancs League.

The 1st XI continue in the Northern League which they moved to in 2004.

Nine teams will contest Division Two which will also start on Saturday, May 5.

The league’s main knock-out competition, the CN Group Higson Cup, opens on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7, with four first round ties: Haverigg v Furness; Dalton v Carlisle; Keswick v Workington and Wigton v Cockermouth.

There are byes for Cleator, Lindal Moor, Millom and Whitehaven.

The quarter-final ties will be on Bank Holiday Monday again, May 28 – Keswick or Workington v Haverigg or Furness; Cleator v Lindal Moor; Wigton or Cockermouth v Dalton or Carlisle; Millom v Whitehaven.

Carlisle expect to be able to confirm their professional for the upcoming season over the next seven days or so. They are waiting for word back on his 2018 commitments from last season’s professional, West Indian all-rounder Justin Greaves.

The Edenside club hope he will be available again but, if he decides not to return, they will look for a replacement.

Furness, who finished runners-up last season, have appointed a new professional for 2018 replacing the popular New Zealander Seth Rance. He is the 31-year-old Indian all-rounder Jalaj Saxena.

He is regarded as one of the best all-rounders operating in India’s top-flight Ranji Trophy competition, where he plays for Kerala.

Saxena is a genuine all-rounder and is described as an enthusiastic, fit and experienced cricketer who still holds high hopes of representing India.