SKIPPER Joe Leach wants Worcestershire to build on last summer’s success and leave a lasting legacy after the release of the 2019 fixtures.

Leach stressed the importance of “staying hungry” for more silverware after Rapids' Vitality Blast triumph in mid-September.

He wants the County to strive to emulate the triumphs of the 1980s and 1990s which decorate the walls of the Graeme Hick Pavilion.

Worcestershire bid to regain their Specsavers County Championship Division One status at the first attempt starting away to Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground from April 11.

There will then be a month of Royal London One-Day Cup action with Rapids looking to improve on 2017 and 2018 when they topped the North Group and earned two home semi-finals.

Rapids go to Lancashire and Leicestershire before hosting Durham in their opening home cup game on April 24.

Durham are also the opponents when Worcestershire will be in home Championship action for the first time from May 14.

There is a sizeable block of four-day cricket from mid-May until the end of June when the Vitality Blast takes centre stage.

An added attraction for County supporters will be a three-day home fixture against Australia from August 7 until 9 during Ashes year.

Leach said: We’ve been building towards something like that (winning the Vitality Blast) for a period of time and have been pretty vocal about our need to push onto that next level and challenge at the back-end of tournaments.

“To do that two years in a row, with the two home semi-finals in 50-over cricket, and now to put a trophy to our white-ball cricket shows we are moving in the right direction.

“It vindicates everything we’ve been saying and doing over the past few years. It was a great day at Edgbaston and everyone wants to back it up.

“Next year is the last at Lord’s for the 50-over competition and everyone would love to play in that.

“I’m sure every county is having the same thoughts but that Lord’s final if we could go one step forward, get there and put ourselves in the hunt for another trophy there it would be special.”

Leach added: “We are also defending T20 (Blast) champions and want to try to win Division Two (in the Championship). We’ve got three trophies that we are absolutely going to go all out for.

“It’s easy to sit in November and say you want to win this, that and the other but we genuinely have a legitimate chance.

“We were the best white-ball team in the country last season. We have to stay hungry and put together a bit of a legacy for this team.

“You go downstairs into the Hick Pavilion and look at the success of the 80s and 90s and that’s something we want to achieve here.”

Worcestershire are part of the Cheltenham Festival in 2019 when they take on Gloucestershire in a Championship match from July 21 and end the campaign in late September with a trip to Hove to face Sussex.

WORCESTERSHIRE FIXTURES

April

05 Cambridge MCCU Fenner's UNI

11 Leicestershire The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road CC 2

17 Lancashire Emirates Old Trafford 50L

21 Leicestershire The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road 50L

24 Durham New Road 50L

26 Northamptonshire Northampton 50L

28 Warwickshire New Road 50L

May

01 Nottinghamshire New Road 50L

04 Yorkshire New Road 50L

06 Derbyshire The County Ground, Derby 50L

14 Durham New Road CC 2

20 Lancashire Emirates Old Trafford CC 2

27 Middlesex New Road CC 2

June

10 Lancashire New Road CC 2

17 Sussex New Road CC 2

25 Australia A New Road TOM 1

30 Glamorgan Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CC 2

July

07 Derbyshire New Road CC 2

13 Durham Emirates Riverside CC 2

21 Gloucestershire Cheltenham CC 2

August

07 Australia New Road TOM 3

18 Northamptonshire Northampton CC 2

September

10 Glamorgan New Road CC 2

16 Gloucestershire New Road CC 2

23 Sussex The 1st Central County Ground CC 2

WORCESTERSHIRE T20 FIXTURES

Notts Outlaws Thursday 18th July Trent Bridge

Birmingham Bears Friday 19th July Blackfinch New Road

Lancashire Lightning Friday 26th July Emirates Old Trafford

Durham Jets Sunday 28th July Blackfinch New Road

Derbyshire Falcons Wednesday 31st July Blackfinch New Road

Yorkshire Vikings Friday 2nd August Emerald Headingley

Leicestershire Foxes Sunday 4th August Blackfinch New Road

Northants Steelbacks Sunday 11th August Blackfinch New Road

Derbyshire Falcons Tuesday 13th August The County Ground, Derby

Durham Jets Thursday 15th August Emirates Riverside

Birmingham Bears Friday 23rd August Edgabston

Lancashire Lightning Sunday 25th August Blackfinch New Road

Notts Outlaws Wednesday 28th August Blackfinch New Road

Northants Steelbacks Friday 30th August Northampton