The weekend of the 14th and 15th September will see the commencement of the UKDA National League’s fourth season and reigning champions of the Cosmo Darts Premier Division Lancashire will have to wait to kick-off their defence of the title as they have a bye on the opening day of the new campaign.
The three-time Champions will not actually get their season underway until the 5th and 6th October when they will play at home against Warwickshire who finished their last campaign third in the top division.
The battle of the roses will not take place until just prior to Christmas when on the weekend of the 11th and 12th December Yorkshire, who ended last season as runners-up, failing to win the title by some sixteen points, will play hosts to their fierce rivals Lancashire.
Newly promoted London and Hertfordshire will both commence their premier life with away fixtures, London taking on Hampshire while Hertfordshire will have the harder task making the long journey north to play against Yorkshire
After relegation from the premier division last season Humberside and Staffordshire will be hoping for a quick return as Humberside will get the new season underway in the Andy Wheeler Fisheries Championship Division with a home tie against Oxfordshire who narrowly beat relegation from the division last season as they finished just four points to the good on next to bottom of the table West Midlands while Staffordshire will travel to take on Suffolk who are newly promoted to the Championship after winning the L-Style Division One title.
Gwent finished as runners-up in division one last season and they will have to wait to see how they fare in the higher division as they have a bye on opening day, their first fixture will be on the weekend of the 5th and 6th October when they will play hosts to Cheshire.
After their dismissal from the Championship West Midlands will have a trying opener in the L-Style Division One as they will host local rivals Black Country who narrowly missed out on promotion last season as they finished with just three points fewer than second placed Gwent.
Cleveland who also came down from the championship will, like West Midlands begin with a home tie as they play hosts to Leicestershire. Gaining promotion from Division Two were Clwyd and Middlesex who once again will play against each other in what will be the first game of the season with Middlesex the hosts.
After losing their places in the L-Style Division one Gwynedd and Tyne and Wear will both have home fixtures in the start to their Division Two season, Gwynedd taking on Salopian and Tyne and Wear hosting Wiltshire. Newcomers to the division from division three Northumberland and Cumbria in turn will play at home against Surrey and Worcestershire
Relegated from division two to division three last season were Norfolk and West of England, they will square up to each other on Norfolk’s home board in their season opener.
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Images: UKDA
