County Preview Part 2

Here is the follow-up on the first divison teams:

Sussex: Champions last year for the second time in 4 years, and once again they will be strong title challengers. The core of the batting remains the same; with the middle order trio of Goodwin, Yardy and Adams expected to provide the main bulk of the runs. Possibly the openers are a weak point, but Richard Montgomerie has years of experience behind him, although his partner, ususally Carl Hopkinson, needs to improve. Down the order Matt Prior will look to build on his 3 centuries last season, although Sussex could be deprived of him, should England find him as the solution to their wicket-keeping woes. The bowling has an even stronger Pakistani tinge to it than usual, with the addition of Saqlain Mushtaq to the returning duo of Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana-Naved, only adding to Sussex's growing reputation as a retirement home for Pakistan's spinners. Should Saqlain display anything like the form he is capable of, the deadly spin twins could wreak havoc. Homegrown seamers James Kirtley and Jason Lewry will augment the seam attack, with both having experienced renaissances of a different kind last year.

Key Man: Goodwin - his heavy run-scoring was integral to both recent championship titles, and Sussex will need the same again if they are to challenge once more. With quality throughout the bowling attack, the slighlty fragile batting is the only real concern, and Goodwin will be the key to allaying those fears.

One to Watch: Luke Wright - A lively seamer who can also hold a bat, he has been knocking around the fringes for a few years now, and will have relatively few chances in view of the very strong frontline bowling. Still, he has enough promise to have been summoned to the England Academy.

How will they fare: If the key trio make the requisite amount of runs, then there is easily enough bowling to blow teams away. Realsitically though, they are at least one good opener away from being a really strong team, and the batting will not stand up in all 16 games.

Lancahire: The squad appears to have depth in all areas, but then this has been the case for a few years now. Chilton and Sutcliffe are not the best opening pair, but they are reliable enough, while the real power lies in the middle order. Lancashire are happy to aknowledge Mal Loye's abiltiy, even if England are not, and veteran Aussie Stuart Law, still amongst the best the county game has to offer, is joined by fellow countryman Brad Hodge, another one the Australian selectors look to have erred in passing over. Luke Sutton is one of the better batsman-keepers around, and the lower order batting is strong, with Glen Chapple and Dominic Cork both capable of first class centuries. Emerging seamer Tom Smith can bat too, and those three will form the basis of the seam attack, although James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood are unlikely to be with England for the whole summer. On its own, the pace bowling would make a good attack, but the trump card will be Muralitharan, in his third spell at the club. Most international batsmen have little idea of how to play him, let alone county ones, and, although he will arrive late, 100 wickets is not beyond him.

Key Man: The rain - easy to call it an excuse, but it is the perennial block on Lancashire's title ambitions. For red rose fans, global warming cannot come fast enough.

One to Watch: Tom Smith - Made his breakthrough last season, keeping hold of the place he earned early season. A seam up medium pacer, he is nevertheless effective, and is a useful lower order hitter. It will be interesting to see which way Lancashire lean should England render Mahmood surplus to requirements.

How will they fare: If this current squad is going to win it, then it had better be soon. Stuart Law and Mal Loye may be performing at near their best now, but they cannot go on forever. With quality performers all the way through the team, they will be one of the hardest teams to beat, and the cutting edge added by Muralithran could be what is needed to unlock the long sought- for prize.

Hampshire: Competitive for the last few seasons, they will be looking to kick on this season and win some silverware. John Crawley should provide a good slug of runs, as he has for the last couple of years, and he will be backed up by Michael Carberry and Michael Lumb, an underachiever at Yorkshire who will be hoping that a change of scenery can help him convert his potential into performance. It is also an important season for Sean Ervine, who had a stinker last year after a great 2005; without an overseas batsman, he will need to step into the role and make some runs. Nic Pothas is Hampshire's Mr.Reliable with both bat and gloves, and should be the core of a strong lower order. Shane Warne will lead the team with his customary vim and agressiveness, and has brought in Stuart Clark, Australia's top performer with the ball in the Ashes, to spearhead the attack. He should find the Rose Bowl pitches to his liking, as will Chris Tremlett if he can stay off the treatment table. Tremlett is seen by some as England's forgotten man, and he bowled like it when given a chance in the CB series; nevertheless, he will remain a threat at county level, even though the rise of Stuart Broad mean that he is not England's only skyscraping bowling option, and his lack of an aggressive fast-bowling temperament to supplement his natural attributes may mean he never makes it for England. James Bruce, who filled in so well last season, will vie with tree surgeon Billy Taylor for the third seamer's slot, whilst Warne takes care of the spin bowling, although Shaun Udal remains as useful back up.

Key Man: Warne - Who else? Few cricketers, having hung up their international boots in a blaze of glory, would be prepared to bring themselves back down to domestic level and slug it out for an entire season, but it shows Warne's love of the game and of Hampshire that he is prepared to fulfil his obligation. It will be no half-hearted effort either; wickets and runs should abound, and if anyone can inspire a team and bring in the crowds, it is Warne.

One to Watch: Chris Benham- young and aggressive, he made an impression last season, contributing some blistering knocks and, with Hampshire's batting by no means a closed shop, he could get a look in.

How will they fare; The bowling has the necessary fire to bowl sides out twice, especially on what remains a slightly suspect home wicket. It will then be down to the batsmen to earn their keep, and put them in positions to win games. They will be contenders, Warne alone will make sure of that, but a title is a lot to ask considering the competition. They might be a good bet in one-day cricket though, especially if Ervine and Mascarenhas fire.

Wawrickshire: Runs were the problem last season, and they will need Jim Troughton and Ian Trott to score heavily if they are to have any chance. They have, however, nabbed a real class act in Kumar Sangakkara as an overseas player. The Sri Lankan batsman-keeper (he may play as a specialist bat) has been a consistent performer for his country over the last few years and, with the decline of Adam Gilchrist, is now arguably the world's best in his field. A considerable contribution from him with the bat will be crucial. The loss of Nick Knight may or may not be compensated for by the acquisition of Darren Maddy. It remains to be seen whether he is still a viable option in the Championship, but he will play a big part in one-day cricket. Heath Streak remains as captain, albeit with his best bowling days behind him, and, for the first time in a long time, Wawrickshire will have Ashley Giles, the new vice-captain, available. The likeable Giles may have become some sort of antichrist in the eyes of England fans, after he delayed Panesar's entry into the Ashes, but his county will be happy to see him back, with the memory of his 27 wickets in April two seasons ago still fresh. The pace bowling back up appears thin, although there is definitely potential; Lee Daggett made some waves last year, and Naqaash Tahir and left-arm swing bowler Adam Shantry are also prospects. South African tearaway Dale Steyn will play for some of the season, although wild and wooly overseas bowlers have not proved that successful in recent years. Just ask Durham about Shaun Tait.

Key Man - Sangakkara: easily the best player in a slightly weak batting order. They will need his runs and hyena-like encouragement in the field.

One to Watch - Navdeep Poonia: An opening batsman, he could get a look in at some point, and has already tasted international cricket with Scotland.

How will they fare - A slightly old team, with the like of Streak, Giles and Dougie Brown (surely in his last season) they do not really have the quality for a title challenge, and relgation is the more likely outcome, although there is reason to worry quite yet. What will weigh them down in the Championship could be to their advantage in one-day cricket, with the collective experience of Maddy, Sangakkara, Streak, Brown and Giles making them a good bet to be successful in the shorter form.

Kent: Mid table last year, with wickets hard to come by, Amjad Khan's 34 the best haul in the championship. His season ending injury on the England A tour will hurt them, although the presence of two bowling all rounders in Andrew Hall and Yasir Arafat should compensate. Old stagers Martin Saggers and Min Patel, a handful of England caps between them, will complete a solid if unspectacular attack. Martin van Jaarsveld, as a Kolpak player, will form the core of the batting, along with Matt Walker who enjoyed a stellar 2006, and Robert Key, who was much less successful last year and appears to have slipped out of England contention. Geraint Jones, discarded by the national side, will be useful if he can get back into form, while Darren Stevens will be looking to go past 1000 runs, as well as chipping with his medium pace.

Key Man - Hall: in the absence of a strike bowler, he will likely open the bowling, and will need to be a constant source of wickets, as well as a useful contributor of runs in the lower-middle order, with his muscular hitting power.

One to Watch - Joe Denly: Following David Fulton's retirement, Kent are short of openers, and 21 year old Denly will be looking to stake his claim. Has represented England at under-19 level, and a bright future could await him.

How will they fare: A slightly workmanlike attack could struggle against the stronger batting line-ups, deprived of its spearhead in Amjad Khan. Nevertheless, the side has a nice balance, with batting all the way down the order, although the key contributions will need to come at the top, especially from the trio of Walker, Van Jaarsveld and Key.

Yorkshire: plunged into the depths of darkness in the winter, after Chris Adams snubbed them, a lot of hard work and wheeling and dealing has meant that they have ended up with a better side than they could have hoped for. Younus Khan, who will be there for the beginning of the season, will be a key cog in the batting, although the responsiblity will not rest exclusively on his shoulders, with the acquisition of South African Jacques Rudolph and the late decision by Anthony McGrath to stay with the club after he had seemed sure to depart. Craig White, probably in his last season, could open, as he did last year, or add solidity to the lower order. If he does open, he will need to dig in, alongside Joe Sayers or Matthew Wood, with the sort of solid starts that were absent last season essential if the strong middle order is to dominate. Wicket-Keeping could be a problem; Gerard Brophy and Simon Guy have both had chances, neither being particularly convincing, although the long term solution is apparent in England under-19 captain Greg Wood. The signings of Khan and Rudolph had already started to imbue fans with confidence, but it was the return of talisman Darren Gough as captain, bringing with him Martyn Moxon and ensuring McGrath's reconcilitation that has created the greatest sense of anticipation. His bowling may be a shadow if its former glory, but he will be an effective one-day performer, and should make up for a possible tactical naivety with his boundless enthusiaism and bottomless self-belief. He will by no means play a lone hand; Jason Gillespie returns to spearhead the attack, looking to build on a somewhat disappointing first season, while Gideon Kruis and Tim Bresnan will complete the pace attack, with Matthew Hoggard also available early doors. The emergence of leg spin duo Adil Rashid and Mark Lawson means that they have the slow bowling covered, although Rashid must guard against second-season blues.

Key Man: Gillespie - The bowling is well stocked, but needs a focal point, which the Australian paceman is best placed to provide. The strength of his back-up means that he can be used in shorter, more attacking bursts, and he should be effective.

One to Watch: The two young leggies of course, but there are also a couple of up and coming batsmen, foremost Adam Lyth, who has scored runs in the second XI, but who may struggle to break into the side with the batting so dense.

How will they do: Strong batting, and good seam and spin options ought to make Yorkshire a team who can do some damage. Some big opening stands from the lesser names could be crucial in setting a platform for the much vaunted middle order to make hay. Gillespie will lead the attack, and Gough (even though he will not play every game) should provide good support, alongside Kruis and Bresnan, with the leg-spinners to come into the picture later on in the season.

Durham: Survived last season by the skin of their teeth, with only captain Dale Benkenstein providing 1000 runs in the Championship. They will again look to him for him to play a strong hand, as well as marshalling the troops well in the field, and contributing the odd wicket with his medium pace. Their poaching of the experienced Michael Di Venuto from Derbyshire should fortify the top order, as a replacement for Glamorgan-bound Jimmy Maher. Gary Scott will hope to establish himself alongside Di Venuto as a successor to long-time servant Jon Lewis, a former captain who retired at the end of last season. Past Benkentein, the middle-order batting is lightweight, (assuming Paul Collingwood's absence on international duty) although Ben Harmison, younger brother of Steve, will hope to win a place, alongside Gordon Muchall, whose excellent start to 2006 rather petered out. Their ability to make big scores could be heavily dependant on how the lower order batting fares, with the foreign legion of Callum Thorp, Ottis Gibson, Gareth Breese and Paul Wiseman all needing to chip in. The bowling is much better provided for, with Harmison leading the attack early season, and for the duration should England not seek his services. Liam Plunkett, likely to be involved in the England ODI setup, and Graham Onions, the next cab off the Riverside fast bowling rank, should provide support when available alongside Thorp and Gibson. Mark Davies, a star in 2005, is also on the comeback trail after an injury wrecked season last year. Wiseman and Breese will provide the spin options, and should have plenty to work with if the pacemen do their job.

Key Man: The Harmison brothers - Steve will need to get back to somewhere near his best and provide a springboard for early season success, while brother Ben must prove his worth in the middle order, and build on a promising debut season.

One to Watch: plenty of young talent, both batsmen and bowlers; keep an eye out for Gary Park, an emerging batsman who can also keep wicket. He may earn an early season berth on the back of a century and half-century which helped keep them up in the crucial showdown with Yorkshire at the climax of last season.

How will they fare; they have enough bowling options to knock over even the strongest batting line-ups, although they will struggle if England deprives them of their strike bowlers. The repsonsibility of making runs largely lies with the captain and overseas opener, although it will be the contribution of the young middle order which will be the key in their Division One survival. It also remains to be seen how much the loss of influential coach Martyn Moxon to Yorkshire will hurt them.

Surrey: The batting is strong, with an experienced core of Butcher, Ramprakash and Brown looking to provide the bulk of the runs. Scott Newman is improving as an opener alongside Jon Batty, one of the best county batsman-keepers, although rarely mentioned in terms of England. The fast bowling is less impressive, despite the overseas trio of Azhar Mahmood, Matt Nicholson and Mohammed Akram and the retirement of Martin Bicknell could hurt them. Nevertheless, the spin back up is strong, with Ian Salisbury having had one of his better seasons last year, alongside Nayan Doshi, arguably the best bowler in 20-20, who chalked up 50 championship wickets in 2006. Waiting in the wings is the forgotten man of English leg-spin Chris Schofield, although the rise of the Yorkshire duo and also Somerset's Michael Munday and Lancashire's Simon Marshall mean that the cupboard is not as bare as it was when he was first on the scene. Rikki Clarke should balance the team, as a batting all-rounder, and the likes of James Benning, a possible future England ODI opener and Stuart Walters will ensure that the first choice XI are kept on their toes.

Key Man: Nicholson - He will not start the season (compatriot Steve Magoffin will cover) but Surrey will be looking for their overseas bowler to spearhead the attack and bring back a return of at least 50 wickets. Bags of experience in the Australian domestic game and a lone Test appearance the best part of a decade ago mean that he has it in him.

One to watch: Rory Hamilton-Brown - a middle order batsman who also bowls off spin, he was due to captain the England under-19 side before injury intervened, and he could get opportunities in the one-day game.

How will they fare: After the embarssment of relegation two years ago, they bounced back in style last season, Mark Ramprakash enjoying an Indian summer to his unfulfilled career. Expect more of the same, along with Butcher and Ali Brown, also in the winter of his playing days. The fast bowling will need to make inroads and give the well-stocked spin attack a foothold.

Worcestershire: Having pipped Essex at the post for promotion last year, 40 year old Graeme Hick, who committed to another year at New Road after flirting with an offer from Derbyshire, has one more chance for glory, 17 years after he last guided them to the Chamionship. It would require Hick to have a season from his 1989 vintage for Woercestershire to have a chance, although he will be well supported by Philip Jaques, by some distance the best overseas batsman over the last couple of years, as well as Vikram Solanki, still good for runs at county level. Elsewhere, Stephen Moore and Ben Smith will be looking to improve on solid but unspectacular efforts in 2006. They have endeavoured to replace Zaheer Khan, who did so well last year, with like for like in the form of Australian left-atm paceman Doug Bollinger, and he will lead the attack along with fellow Aussie Matt Mason and England discard Kabir Ali. Gareth Batty and Ray Price, ineffective last year, will want to have more of an impact and back up the pace trio. Stephen Davies, long since earmarked as the solution to the England wicket-keeping problem, could force the issue with another 1000 run season, if neither Prior or Foster nail down the spot.

Key Man: Jaques - probably first in line to succeed Justin Langer at the top of the Australian order, a chance to impress his national selectors should be the added incenctive needed to propel him to the sort of productive season which Worcs. will need if they are to stay away from the relegation dogfight.

One to Watch: Daryl Mitchell - Deputised effectively when Hick was injured last year, and could find himself in the side if the middle order do not succeed. In what is surely Hick's last year, a successor will need to be found, with Mitchell at the head of the queue.

How will they fare: Some star players, but the back up may let them down, and realistically, they will do well to avoid relegation. Jaques and Hick will be the keys with the bat, while the three seamers will need to bend their backs to get through what are some very strong opposition batting line ups.

Very hard to predict a winner, in what is a strong division. Looking at it now, before a ball has been bowled in anger, you would think that the title is likely to be contested between only three teams - namely Sussex, Lancashire, Hampshire, just as in 2006. However, in practice, it will not all run that smoothly. Surrey and Yorkshire are the jokers in the pack; it is hard to predict how Surrey will go, after they tanked in 2005, and were never really tested last year. Likewise, Yorkshire are packed with international pedigree and experience, alongside some excellent young prospects, but it is impossible to predict how the team, totally remodelled from last season, will gel under the new management.

Lancashire for me; they have the sort of quality from 1-11 to both launch and sustain a title challenge. Should the well-stocked batting make the expected big totals, they have the real ace up the sleeve in Muralitharan to back up an efficient seam attack. The fact that it is probably the last chance for this team might be the added incentive to spur them on; they have waited 70 years to bring the title to Old Trafford. Mess it up this year, and another long wait could be the result.