The domestic cricket season could potentially start next weekend, but won't get under way properly until the end of the month.

As usual the shortage of prepared pitches is being blamed for the delay.

Bermuda Cricket Board have produced a rough schedule of what this season will look like, and for many it could involve a summer of double-headers interspersed with a hectic national team schedule, as well as the usual County and Cup Match weekends.

While the final schedule won't be released until the middle of next week, a first draft has the Under-19s, who have replaced Police in the Premier Division, opening proceedings next Saturday, against, as yet, unidentified opponents.

The First Division league season is due to begin the following Saturday, May 15, which is also BELCO Cup weekend, and the Premier Division is slated to eventually start in earnest with teams playing double headers on May 22 and 23.

Another round of matches is due to take place on Sunday, May 30, by which time the ICC Americas Regional Championship, which runs from May 28 to June 6, will be well under way.

The venues for this have yet to be announced, but the National Sports Centre, along with Lords, are expected to hold the majority of matches. Bailey's Bay was also considered, but is believed to have been dismissed as too small for international cricket.

As with Bermuda's Intercontinental Shield clash against UAE in July, domestic cricket will take a break while the international matches are played, meaning that, at the moment, teams would have two week breaks around those events.

The first county match of the season is expected to take place on Saturday, June 26, when Southampton Rangers take on PHC in the Western Counties, in what could be a repeat of this year's BELCO Cup final, with the winners scheduled to meet Warwick the following weekend.

Willow Cuts await the winner for their game in the third round, while Somerset Bridge will be the opponents in the final match, on Saturday, August 21.

Schedules for the Eastern and Central Counties have yet to be announced.

By the time Cup Match comes around at the end of July, the BCB hope to have played 10 rounds of the 50-overs competition, and both the First and Premier Divisions will hopefully come to a conclusion on Sunday, August 22.

However, the season isn't due to finish for another month after that, with the Twenty/20 competition beginning on August 29, and ending with the finals at the National Sports Centre on September 25 and 26.