Lisburn will open their defence of the Premier League title at Shaw’s Bridge with a game against Instonians on April 22.

The fixtures for the 2023 season, released today, send last year’s Section One champions Derriaghy to Stormont for the first match back in the top flight since 2016 to face Civil Service North, while CIYMS, who swept the boards in the cup competitions last year, start out with a home game against Carrickfergus. The draw for the Challenge Cup will be made next Monday night.

Waringstown will play their first three league games away from home after the Roy Harrison pavilion at The Lawn suffered severe flooding damage during the Big Freeze, their first home game will be against North Down on May 13.

Dates for the round three fixtures, which are due to played on May 6, the day of the King’s coronation, have still to be confirmed with the probability that matches will be switched to the Sunday or the Holiday Monday.

Once again the 10 teams will play each other once before the top six and bottom four split for the second half of the season from July.

The NCU season will start a week earlier, on April 15. with a “Charity Shield” match between the Premier League champions and the Challenge Cup winners at Wallace Park with Lisburn facing CIYMS, who have announced the professional Keith Dudgeon will not be returning, as planned, because of ongoing fitness issues.

There are two new Women’s teams this year, Ballymena and Bangor, who will play in a four team Junior League, under a four-team Premier League which starts on April 30 (CSN v Warinsgtown and North Down v Muckamore) and an eight-team Section One.

FIXTURES

Premier League
April 22: CIYMS v Carrickfergus, Cliftonville Academy v Waringstown, CSN v Derriaghy, Instonians v Lisburn, Woodvale v North Down.
April 29: Carrickfergus v Waringstown, CIYMS v Derriaghy, Cliftonville Academy v Lisburn, CSN v North Down, Instonians v Woodvale.
May 6-8: Derriaghy v Carrickfergus, Lisburn v CIYMS, North Down v Cliftonville Academy, Instonians v Civil Service North, Woodvale v Waringstown.
May 13: Carrickfergus v Instonians, CIYMS v CSN, Cliftonville Academy v Woodvale, Derriaghy v Lisburn, Waringstown v North Down
June 3: CSN v Cliftonville Academy, Instonians v CIYMS, Lisburn v Waringstown, North Down v Carrickfergus, Woodvale v Derriaghy.
June 10: Carrickfergus v Lisburn, CIYMS v North Down, Cliftonville Academy v Instonians, CSN v Woodvale, Waringstown v Derriaghy
June 17: Carrickfergus v Cliftonville Academy, CIYMS v Woodvale, Derriaghy v Instonians, Lisburn v North Down, Waringstown v CSN.
July 1: Cliftonville Academy v CIYMS, CSN v Carrickfergus, Instonians v Waringstown, North Down v Derriaghy, Woodvale v Lisburn
July 8: Derriaghy v Cliftonville Academy, Lisburn v CSN, North Down v Instonians, Waringstown v CIYMS, Woodvale v Carrickfergus.

Women’s Premier League

April 30: CSN v Waringstown, North Down v Muckamore
May 9: May 9: Muckamore v CSN, Waringstown v North Down
May 30:CSN v North Down, Muckamore v Waringstown
June 13: Warinsgtown v CSN, Muckamore v North Down
July 4: CSN v Muckamore, North Down v Waringstown
July 23: North Down v CSN, Muckamore v Waringstown
July 30: Waringstown v CSN, Muckamore v North Down
August 6: CSN v North Down, Waringstown v Muckamore
August 13: CSN v Waringstown, North Down v Muckamore