COUNTY BY COUNTY GUIDE TO THE 2009 SEASON by
Marcus Hook
DERBYSHIRE
For no other team is the experience of winning a major domestic trophy as
distant a memory as it is for Derbyshire. Only Hampshire have notched up as many
bowling bonus points in the last two seasons, so it does not take much to work
out why John Morris's charges have not finished higher than fifth in the County
Championship's basement division since being relegated at the end of 2000. The
batting continues to look weak - except in one-day cricket where Stuart Law will
feature - so, once again, skipper and overseas player Chris Rogers will be
expected to show the way. At least Rogers has one of the better bowling attacks
in Division Two at his disposal. Graham Wagg has now taken 110 championship
wickets in two seasons. In the seam department, Wagg will be ably supported by
Charl Langeveldt, Tom Lungley and twenty-two-year-old all-rounder Jonathan
Clare, while the improving Jake Needham is expected to be the main spin
option.
Ins: Tim Groenewald (War), Stuart Law (Lan, as a one-day player), Mark Lawson (Yor),
Garry Park (Dur), Atif Sheikh
Outs: Rikki Clarke (War), Kevin Dean (Ret), Nayan Doshi, Liam Hughes, Chris
Paget, Akhil Patel, Tom Poynton, Ollie Saffell, Wayne White, Ross Whiteley
Overseas 2009: Chris Rogers (Aus)
New captain/coach: Chris Rogers takes over from Rikki Clarke as captain
Likely to miss the start of the season: Charl Langeveldt (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 22-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 25-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 25-1 jt outsiders
DURHAM
Durham's first ever championship title last summer made it two pieces of
silverware in two years for the Riversiders who, this term, will be led by Will
Smith. Dale Benkenstein, who has decided to stand down, will still be at the
heart of what Durham achieve with the bat alongside the likes of Shivnarine
Chanderpaul, Michael Di Venuto and new signing Ian Blackwell. But there must be
a concern that the captaincy could affect Smith's batting, which made all the
difference last season. A year ago, however, it was said that Durham would
struggle to overcome the loss of Ottis Gibson. Far from it, by mid-season it was
almost a case of: "Ottis who?" with Mark Davies, Graham Onions and
Liam Plunkett not always making the starting line-up. With Stephen Harmison
failing to cement a regular place in the England side, Durham could well have a
full hand of bowling options once again, which is why many are expecting them to
hold on to their championship crown.
Ins: Ian Blackwell (Som)
Outs: Garry Park (Der), Gary Scott
Overseas 2009: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), David Warner (Aus, for the Twenty20
Cup)
New captain/coach: Will Smith takes over from Dale Benkenstein as captain
Likely to miss the start of the season: Paul Collingwood (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 4-1 favs, Friends Provident Trophy - 9-2
favs, Twenty20 Cup - 5-1 favs
ESSEX
Essex have three trophies to show for the last four seasons' work and with
arguably the best attack in Division Two of County Championship they are not
only expected to feature strongly in this year's one-day competitions. David
Masters was a revelation, taking 40 wickets at an average of 24.05 in the
championship after arriving from Leicestershire. Another seamer, Chris Wright
also had a successful first season at New Writtle Street. But the key to the
attack remains leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who, amazingly, is not in Pakistan's
one-day plans. However, Essex can only look forward to promotion if batsmen Ravi
Bopara and Alistair Cook are regularly available. Skipper Mark Pettini has not
hit a championship hundred since September 2006 and Varun Chopra has only gone
past fifty six times in two seasons - if the fortunes of these two do not change
it seems too much to expect James Foster, Ryan ten Doeschate and new signing,
Matt Walker to make all the runs.
Ins: John Maunders, Matt Walker (Ken)
Outs: Alex Tudor (Sur)
Overseas 2009: Danish Kaneria (Pak)
Likely to miss the start of the season: Ravi Bopara (IPL), Graham Napier (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 6-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 10-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 10-1
GLAMORGAN
In the last four years Glamorgan have lost 35 championship matches and
either propped up their division or finished one from bottom. No team has scored
fewer bonus points in the last two summers and only 52 batting points during
that time underlines where the Welshmen are particularly weak. In 2008 just six
championship hundreds were struck by a Glamorgan batsman. Gareth Rees hit three,
but it is little wonder that the Dragons have elected to use their overseas
signing to reinforce the batting. Mark Cosgrove, who averaged 50.35 for
Glamorgan in 2006, will initially deputise for South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs.
It is difficult to be optimistic about the Welshmen's chances, but if they do
achieve anything this season it will down to their attack, which is by no means
the worst. It will be interesting to see if Adam Shantry is able to replicate
the form he showed in 2008 and if the promising James Harris can return to full
fitness following an ankle injury.
Ins: Garnett Kruger (Lei)
Outs: Richard Grant, David Hemp, Kyle Tudge, Matthew Wood (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Mark Cosgrove (Aus, for the beginning of the season), Herschelle
Gibbs (RSA, for the remainder of the season)
New captain/coach: Jamie Dalrymple takes over from David Hemp as captain
Likely to miss the start of the season: Herschelle Gibbs (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 28-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 55-1,
outsiders Twenty20 Cup - 22-1
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
The Gladiators' dominance of one-day cricket between 1999 and 2004 must now seem
like a distant memory. Gloucestershire have only won seven championship games in
the last four years and appear to have taken root in Division Two. Changes are
clearly needed, so to engineer the turnaround Alex Gidman takes over from Jon
Lewis as captain while John Bracewell returns as director of cricket. On only
three occasions did a Gloucestershire bowler bag five victims last term, but
Bracewell brings with him fellow New Zealander James Franklin to make it three
Kiwis in the Gloucestershire squad. Franklin is likely to take the new ball with
Steve Kirby, who led the way in 2008, albeit with a paltry 36 championship
scalps. The batting was also below par. Kadeer Ali, Grant Hodnett, Hamish
Marshall and Craig Spearman regularly failed to turn good starts into big runs.
Chris Taylor showed some consistency, but the leading light with the bat was
26-year-old wicketkeeper Steve Snell.
Ins: David Payne, Jack Taylor, Rob Woodman (Som)
Outs: Ian Fisher (Wor), Carl Greenidge, Mark Hardinges, Will Rudge
Overseas 2009: James Franklin (NZ)
New captain/coach: Alex Gidman takes over from Jon Lewis as captain. John
Bracewell returns as director of cricket
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 40-1 outsiders, Friends Provident Trophy -
28-1, Twenty20 Cup - 20-1
HAMPSHIRE
Apart from lifting the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in 2005, Hampshire
have had not managed to get their hands on any silverware for well over a
decade. But in four seasons in Division One they have always finished in the top
five in the County Championship. For the Rose Bowl outfit to keep it that way
James Tomlinson and Imran Tahir will have to prove that last summer was no flash
in the pan. Dominic Cork, surplus to requirements at Lancashire, is added to an
attack that will be without Mascarenhas in the opening weeks, due to his IPL
involvement. But with Chris Tremlett apparently fit and raring to go the Hawks
should be less concerned by their bowling and more worried about their batting.
Michael Carberry and Nic Pothas can be relied upon, but with Michael Brown
moving across to Surrey, Adams, Benham, Ervine and Lumb must up their game to
avoid being overtaken in the pecking order by Liam Dawson. Should be strong in
the one-day comps.
Ins: Dominic Cork (Lan)
Outs: Michael Brown (Sur), Nantie Hayward, Rory Kleinveldt, Greg Lamb, Kevin
Latouf, Richard Morris
Overseas 2009: Imran Tahir (Pak)
Likely to miss the start of the season: Dimitri Mascarenhas (IPL), Kevin
Pietersen (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 7-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 14-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 20-1
KENT
Kent used just 15 players in last year's championship. Fatigue eventually got to
them, with Durham twisting the knife in the final game of the season. It must
have been of little comfort to Kent that they won two more matches than the two
sides above them in Division One, or that they became only the second team with
four victories ever to be relegated in the championship. Reaching a brace of
one-day finals only to lose in both added to the pain. Apart from Tredwell's
off-breaks, which only brought a wicket every 51 runs, skipper Rob Key could
have had no complaints with his bowlers. But with just one championship hundred
himself, any criticism Key meted out to his under-performing batsmen must have
sounded hollow. Martin van Jaarsveld was in a class of his own, however, none
more so than when he made hundreds in each innings against Surrey. With Denly
and Jones likely find runs easier to come by this summer, promotion in the
champo looks assured.
Ins: Rob Ferley (Not), James Hockley
Outs: Neil Dexter (Mid), Matt Walker (Ess)
Overseas 2009: Stuart Clark (Aus, for the beginning of the season)
Likely to miss the start of the season: Amjad Khan (cartilage), Ryan McLaren (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 2-1 favs, Friends Provident Trophy - 8-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 11-1
LANCASHIRE
After rounding off the Nineties with six one-day trophies in five seasons,
Lancashire have not picked up any silverware since the turn of the century; and
no one at Old Trafford needs to be reminded that they have not been crowned
outright County Champions since 1934. Last season the Red Rose county suffered
from a severe shortage of runs with their batsmen hitting just six championship
centuries. VVS Laxman has therefore been drafted in as overseas player, but the
likes of Mark Chilton, Steven Croft and Mal Loye must deliver if Lancashire are
to mount a serious title challenge. After a resurgent season with the ball, Glen
Chapple was appointed captain to succeed Stuart Law, who was axed due to his
links with the unofficial Indian Cricket League. Then, just as he was coming to
terms with being relieved of the England manager's job, Peter Moores was made
overseer following Mike Watkinson's move upstairs. With no shortage of bowling
options, Lancashire should be competitive.
Ins: Steven Cheetham, Simon Kerrigan, Adrian Shankar
Outs: Dominic Cork (Ham), Stuart Law (Der), Simon Marshall, Iain Sutcliffe
(Ret)
Overseas 2009: Ashwell Prince (RSA, for the beginning of the season), VVS Laxman
(Ind, for the remainder of the season)
New captain/coach: Glen Chapple takes over from Stuart Law as captain. Peter
Moores succeeds Mike Watkinson as coach
Likely to miss the start of the season: Glen Chapple (hamstring), Andrew
Flintoff (IPL), Gary Keedy (fractured hand), VVS Laxman (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 8-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 12-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 12-1
LEICESTERSHIRE
The Foxes have now spent five summers in Division Two of the County Championship
without looking like promotion candidates. It has been a similar story in the
Pro40 League. So, at last, they have bitten the bullet and decided to go with
youth, even though it is unlikely to result in a return to the top flight in the
short-term. With the batting a major issue, the Grace Road outfit can ill afford
HD Ackerman, Paul Nixon and Josh Cobb - who, at just eighteen, is already
averaging 49.11 in the championship - being off colour in 2009. Last term, Boeta
Dippenaar had a very lean time, but a batsman of his quality must surely be
capable of mastering English pitches, plus 19-year-old James Taylor looks the
part. With the ball, New Zealand seamer Iain O'Brien will provide more of a
cutting edge. AJ Harris, who finds now himself at his third county, will be
under pressure from Sam Cliff, while Malik, Allenby and Henderson will complete
the cast.
Ins: Boeta Dippenaar (converts from overseas player to a Kolpak), AJ Harris
(Not)
Outs: Ryan Cummins (Nor), Dillon du Preez (no longer qualifies as a Kolpak),
Edward Foster, Harry Gurney, Garnett Kruger (Gla), Jermaine Lawson, Johan
Malcolm, Daniel Rowe, Jeremy Snape (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Iain O'Brien (NZ)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 28-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 33-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 22-1
MIDDLESEX
Having finished third in Division Two in each of the last two seasons the North
Londoners certainly haven't benefited from the switch to two up and two down in
the championship. But, by lifting the Twenty20 Cup last summer, at least they
managed to end their15-year wait for a major trophy. Despite the retirement of
skipper Ed Smith and Joyce also exiting the batting still looks in decent shape
with Aussie opener Phillip Hughes inked in for the early exchanges and the likes
of Morgan, Malan and Godleman starting to mature. Neil Dexter has been brought
in from Kent as cover for Shah and Strauss, though it is still hoped that
Compton can cut the mustard. Tim Murtagh carried the Middlesex attack in 2008
with 64 championship wickets at 26.43 runs apiece, but Richardson impressed when
available and with Evans and Finn continuing to make strides the future seems
bright for the newly dubbed Panthers, who will again have India's Murali Kartik
as their primary spin threat.
Ins: Neil Dexter (Ken)
Outs: Ed Joyce (Sus), Mark Jackson, Shaun Levy, Dirk Nannes, Chris Peploe,
Vernon Philander, Ed Smith (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Phillip Hughes (Aus, for the beginning of the season), Murali
Kartik (Ind, for the remainder of the season)
New captain/coach: Shaun Udal takes over from Ed Smith as captain
Likely to miss the start of the season: Murali Kartik (IPL), Owais Shah (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 5-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 12-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 14-1
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Having failed to capture any meaningful silverware since 1992, Northants go into
the new season more in hope than expectation that their barren run is set to
end. Along with Glamorgan they have the least number of bowling points to show
for the last two summers' work and, in 2008, were it not for Johannes van der
Wath they would not have reached the giddy heights of fourth in Division Two.
Ryan Cummins and Lee Daggett have therefore been drafted in from Leicestershire
and Warwickshire respectively and coach David Capel is no doubt secretly hoping
to see more of Monty Panesar this term. Thankfully, the batting was something to
write home about last season with six batsmen hitting two or more championship
hundreds. David Sales went past one thousand first-class runs for the fifth year
in a row, but a worrying knee injury to the former skipper will need to be
monitored. The performances of Stephen Peters and the hard-hitting Robert White
could therefore be crucial.
Ins: Jack Brooks, Ryan Cummins (Lei), Lee Daggett (War)
Outs: Jason Brown (Not), Richard Browning, Lance Klusener, Richard Logan
Overseas 2009: To be announced
Likely to miss the start of the season: David Sales (knee)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 14-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 20-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 25-1 jt outsiders
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Other than being crowned County Champions in 2005, Nottinghamshire have not had
any trophies to celebrate since the late Eighties, but there is every indication
that the Trent Bridge outfit are set for big things. Last summer they finished
runners-up to Durham in the County Championship despite only two batsmen scoring
over 700 runs. The addition of Alistair Brown, who joins from Surrey, will
increase competition in the batting, even though Patel, Read and Wagh are
assured of their places. But Nottinghamshire's strength lies in their bowling.
As they proved last term, Pattinson, Shreck and Swann are more than capable of
making up for the absences of Broad and Sidebottom. Adams and Ealham will chip
in with bat and ball, and should England prefer Graeme Swann to Monty Panesar,
Notts have Jason Brown, who decided to part company with Northants at the end
2008, to bring in. Likely to challenge in all four competitions - with overseas
signing Adam Voges on board they should be particularly formidable one-day
opponents.
Ins: Alistair Brown (Sur), Jason Brown (Nor), Kyle Hodnett
Outs: Rob Ferley (Ken), AJ Harris (Lei)
Overseas 2009: Adam Voges (Aus)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 5-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 12-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 12-1
SOMERSET
No team has notched up more batting bonus points in the last two seasons than
Somerset and while their bowling relies heavily on Charl Willoughby and Andy
Caddick, the likes of Trego, Jones, Thomas and Munday give the Cidermen more
options than a number of teams enjoy. As well as leaving a hole in the middle
order, the departure of Ian Blackwell to Durham is likely to make the Sabres
even less of a force in limited-overs cricket, which they have not excelled in
since winning the Twenty20 Cup in 2005. Somerset's top priority must therefore
be staying in Division One of the County Championship. To achieve that, not only
will Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick need to score heavily, but Zander de
Bruyn, Neil Edwards and James Hildreth will also have to play some important
knocks. Craig Kieswetter is an exciting prospect as gloveman, but coach Brian
Rose's over-riding concern will be that his side can ill afford suffering a
spate of injuries.
Ins: David Stiff
Outs: Ian Blackwell (Dur), John Francis (Ret), Andy Sutton, Rob Woodman (Glo)
Overseas 2009: Justin Langer (Aus)
Likely to miss the start of the season: Justin Langer (IPL)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 7-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 12-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 11-1
SURREY
After picking up eight major pieces of silverware in eight years between 1996
and 2003, the Oval outfit seem to have lost their way. Not only did the Brown
Caps fail to bowl their opponents out twice in 2008, on just four occasions did
a Surrey bowler bag five victims in the championship. The legendary Saqlain
Mushtaq accounted for three of them, only to be shown the door for refusing to
cut his ties with the outlawed ICL. Enter Andre Nel, who will give the seam
department more strength in depth, but much will hinge on Dernbach and Jordan,
23 and 20 respectively. The new Brown Caps' manager, Chris Adams, would
therefore appear to have his work cut out; especially if skipper Mark Butcher
misses the beginning of the season due to injury. With Afzaal, Newman and new
signing Michael Brown around, and Ramprakash, of course (though only after he
has served a two-match ban in the championship), Butcher's runs will not be
missed anywhere near as much as his leadership. With Essex, Kent and Middlesex
looking better bets for promotion in the championship, Surrey's best chance of
glory this year probably lies in the one-day arena.
Ins: Michael Brown (Ham), Andre Nel (as a Kolpak), Alex Tudor (Ess)
Outs: Alistair Brown (Not), Richard Clinton, Lee Hodgson (Yor), Neil Saker,
Saqlain Mushtaq
Overseas 2009: Grant Elliott (NZ, for the first half of the season), Harbhajan
Singh (Ind) has been approached regarding the second half of the season
New captain/coach: Chris Adams succeeds Alan Butcher as coach
Likely to miss the start of the season: Mark Butcher (knee)
Betting: County Championship Div 2 - 5-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 14-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 16-1
SUSSEX
After winning four trophies in the last three seasons Sussex are due a spell in
the wings, especially if Matt Prior spends most of the summer on international
duty. With Chris Adams retiring, Michael Yardy takes over as captain. The
batting has been strengthened by the acquisition of Ed Joyce, but the
indications are that Murray Goodwin must continue making up for Chris Nash, Carl
Hopkinson and Luke Wright's lack of runs. With the ball, the Martlets should be
competitive, especially if Jason Lewry can keep going at the age of
thirty-eight. In addition to Lewry, overseas signing Yasir Arafat should find
useful allies in Corey Collymore and off-spinner Ollie Rayner. Sussex are
capable of punching above their weight in the Twenty20 Cup and the Friends
Provident Trophy, but already, one suspects, coach Mark Robinson is not even
thinking about the Pro40 League, given that the emphasis towards the end of the
season is likely to be keeping his players fresh for a survival battle in the
championship.
Ins: Corey Collymore (as a Kolpak), Joe Gatting, Ed Joyce (Mid), Pepler Sandri
(as a Kolpak), Dwayne Smith (as a Kolpak)
Outs: Chris Adams (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Yasir Arafat (Pak)
New captain/coach: Mike Yardy takes over from Chris Adams as captain
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 8-1, Friends Provident Trophy - 16-1,
Twenty20 Cup - 16-1
WARWICKSHIRE
Last season it seemed that every due to be out of contract player was being
linked with a move to Edgbaston, but in the end Ashley Giles only managed to
recruit Rikki Clarke, who left Derbyshire by mutual agreement in August. Ian
Salisbury's unexpected retirement has forced the Bears into signing an overseas
spinner - New Zealand's Jeetan Patel - for 2009. As promising as they are, the
inexperience of seam trio of James Anyon, Naqaash Tahir and England Under-19
sensation Chris Woakes is likely to prevent Warwickshire building on their
immediate return to Division One of the County Championship. With Ian Bell and
Tim Ambrose on the fringes of the England team, they, along with Clarke, have
every incentive to put in the sort of performances that will get them noticed.
But if Clarke remains an enigma Frost, Maddy, Trott and Troughton will all have
to average over forty so as to avoid exposing the Bears' fresh-faced attack.
Nevertheless, expect Warwickshire to mount a Twenty20 Cup challenge.
Ins: Ateeq Javed, Keith Barker, Shaaiq Choudhry, Rikki Clarke (Der)
Outs: Lee Daggett (Nor), Tim Groenewald (Der), Stuart Hole, Nick James, Luke
Parker, Michael Powell (Ret), Ian Salisbury (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Jeetan Patel (NZ)
New captain/coach: Ian Westwood takes over from Darren Maddy as captain
Likely to miss the start of the season: Ian Westwood (wrist)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 12-1 jt outsiders, Friends Provident Trophy
- 18-1, Twenty20 Cup - 18-1
WORCESTERSHIRE
After gaining just 18 batting points in the championship in 2007, Worcestershire
returned to the top flight at the first time of asking thanks in no small part
to one thousand-run seasons from Stephen Moore, skipper Vikram Solanki and Ben
Smith; all of whom were averaging less than 35 twelve months earlier. On the
downside, Smith and wicketkeeper Steve Davies have now gone two summers without
hitting a championship hundred, which needs to change if the retirement of
Graeme Hick is to be surmounted. Doubts over the fitness of overseas signing
Ashley Noffke appear to be clouding the Pears' preparations for the forthcoming
season, which have hardly been helped by the collapse of their main sponsor, the
electrical retailer Apollo 2000. Simon Jones is said to be fit again, though,
and Imran Arif now qualifies as a non-overseas player; but Kabir Ali remains key
to the Worcestershire attack, even though it is Gareth Batty who puts the overs
in. Likely to struggle in four-day cricket, especially with the bat.
Ins: Ian Fisher (Glo), Imran Arif (converts from overseas player to British
citizen)
Outs: Graeme Hick (Ret)
Overseas 2009: Ashley Noffke (Aus)
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 12-1 jt outsiders, Friends Provident Trophy
- 20-1, Twenty20 Cup - 18-1
YORKSHIRE
Ever since returning to the championship's top flight in 2006, Yorkshire have
been staving off relegation. This might have something to do with the fact that
no team has drawn more four-day matches in the last four years. But with Tim
Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard and Adil Rashid leading the attack there seems no
reason why the Tykes should continue finding it difficult to bowl sides out
twice; even though Darren Gough has retired and Deon Kruis rarely gets his just
desserts. Having Michael Vaughan around this summer will be like having a new
signing, but looking at the rest of the batting, Yorkshire may need to rely on
the former England captain if Gale, Lyth and Sayers fail to kick on. Other than
Vaughan, only Anthony McGrath, who takes over as captain, and Jacques Rudolph
are certain to start in the top six. The Carnegie should be there or thereabouts
in limited-overs cricket, but they may have to settle for a mid-table finish in
the Division One of the champo.
Ins: Azeem Rafiq, Jonathan Bairstow, Lee Hodgson (Sur)
Outs: Darren Gough (Ret), Mark Lawson (Der), Greg Wood
Overseas 2009: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Pak)
New captain/coach: Anthony McGrath takes over from Darren Gough as captain
Betting: County Championship Div 1 - 12-1 jt outsiders, Friends Provident Trophy
- 14-1, Twenty20 Cup - 14-1.
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