Date-stamped : 18 May94 - 14:25 County-by-County Guide to the Cricket Season Ambitious Warwickshire may require more than a West Indian's bat- ting brilliance in the long run to the Championship title. Glenn Moore looks at those most likely to make a stand in the various competitions By Glenn Moore KENT A settled staff and management full of promise: will this, after 15 summers without a trophy, be Kent's year? Only Gloucestershire have waited longer and a succession of second places and losing finals have served to heighten expectation. Last year's Championship challenge was undone by injuries to seam bowlers and uncharacteristically poor batting even before minds turned to Sundays. Carl Hooper contributed 2,258 runs in all matches but no one else came close. Indeed, Mark Ealham was second in the county averages despite batting eight or lower. He will start this time at six with the opener David Fulton given the chance to establish himself. There is opportunity, too, for Min Patel, Derek Underwood's la- test successor, but Kent's strong suit is their seam reserves. Martin McCague and Alan Igglesden are fit to lead a nine-strong group including Julian Thompson, who has just qualified as a doc- tor and is joining the circuit at the age of 25. 1993: BAC: 8th. AXA: 2nd. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: Prelim rd. In: Julian Thompson. Out: Richard Davis (Warwickshire), Jonathan Longley (Durham). Capt: Mark Benson. O/s: Carl Hooper. HAMPSHIRE A much-changed squad, with Malcolm Marshall and David Gower gone but strengthened by new arrivals, should improve on a dismal 1993. Winston Benjamin may never be as good as Marshall was but will take more than the 28 wickets his fellow West Indian claimed last summer. The trade with Middlesex of Kevin Shine for Norman Cowans and Matthew Keech is also beneficial but it is still hard to see Hampshire making a Championship impact, while one-day success depends heavily on Robin Smith's brilliance and the reliability of Paul Terry. At least the added bowling should enable Shaun Udal to regain his attacking edge, but given Ray Illingworth's comments he may be lost to Test duty. A crop of students - and maybe a schoolboy - will invigorate the side in mid-summer although Liam Botham, at 16, may have to wait a while yet. 1993: BAC: 13th. AXA: 15th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: q-f. In: Winston Benjamin (Leics), Liam Botham, James Bovill, Norman Cowans (Middx), Matthew Keech (Middx), William Kendall, Jason La- ney, Giles White (Somerset). Out: Jon Ayling (ret), David Gower (ret), Malcolm Marshall (Na- tal), Kevin Shine (Middx), Ian Turner, Julian Wood. Capt: Mark Nicholas. O/s: Winston Benjamin (new). GLOUCESTERSHIRE After finishing second from bottom in the Championship, Gloucestershire are one county for whom Durham's presence in the first-class game is something of a relief. The facts - they fin- ished 15 points ahead of Durham, had no Championship win until August and have only nine victories in 38 matches - tell a grim story. With injury ending David Lawrence's career, much depends on Courtney Walsh who, despite a busy winter, should be lifted by the captaincy. He has little bowling support, though the veteran Kevin Cooper took 47 wickets at 26 each last summer. The fact that Jack Russell finished second in the batting aver- ages was another telling statistic and served to highlight Chris Broad's disappointing return. On the plus side there are some talented youngsters coming through. Matt Windows, when he comes down from Durham, the Eng- land Under-19 batsman Robert Cunliffe and the 23-year-old leg- spinner Vivian Pike could all make an impact. 1993: BAC: 17th. AXA: 13th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: Prelim rd. In: Michael Cawdron, Dominic Hewson, Vivian Pike, Kamran Sheeraz (Beds). Out: Jason de la Pena (Surrey), Martin Gerrard, Ryan Horrell, Richard Scott. Capt: Courtney Walsh. O/s: Walsh. GLAMORGAN The ''SuperGlam'' revolution continues with this year's message being ''go early and go on foot'' as membership again bursts into five figures to watch an overseas signing who could wreck windscreens all over Wales. With the team bubbling with self-belief and a trophy to prove it, Glamorgan said goodbye to Viv Richards and signed the Barbadian Ottis Gibson, whose hitting is already legendary in South Africa, where he spent two seasons. Gibson is also a useful fast bowler pushing for Test selection. That will help an attack which has been better at containment than penetration and strengthen a likely Championship push as well as adding punch to an already strong one-day side. David Hemp is earmarked to take Richards's place in the batting order while the seamer Darren Thomas, another product of the flourishing youth system, is one to watch out for. Though ex- periencing mixed fortunes, all five winter tourists should be better for the experience and there may even be the rare but hap- py problem of having to cover for Test calls. 1993: BAC: 3rd. AXA: 1st. NW: s-f. B & H: 1st rd. In: Ottis Gibson (Barbados), Owen Parkin (Dorset), Gareth Rees, Andrew Roseberry (Northumberland). Out: Mark Frost, Viv Richards (ret). Capt: Hugh Morris. O/s: Gibson. ESSEX Not many counties would reject Mark Waugh's offer to be their overseas player but Essex did this winter when they preferred Michael Kasprowicz. However, the choice was a sign of despera- tion, not strength, after their worst season for seven years. Kasprowicz, a fast bowler on the fringes of the Australian team, comes recommended by Allan Border and Dennis Lillee but is a gam- ble after a poor winter with Queensland. His acquisition follows the retirements of Neil Foster and Derek Pringle whose decline was the main factor in Essex's slump following successive titles. Test calls were another handicap and how significant they will prove this year hinges on whether Graham Gooch is recalled. He has never had difficulty motivating himself at county level and the thought of Essex following Liverpool into the ranks of also- rans is a further spur. However, another transitional season beckons. 1993: BAC: 11th. AXA: 12th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: 1st rd. In: Ashley Cowans, Michael Kasprowicz (Queensland), Ronnie Irani (Lancs), Richard Pearson (Northants, trial). Out: Alistair Fraser, Neil Foster (ret), Salim Malik, Derek Prin- gle (ret), Lloyd Tennant. Capt: Graham Gooch. O/s: Kasprowicz (new). DURHAM Not coming last will be something of a success but ambitious Dur- ham will be looking for more, notably in the one-day competi- tions. The arrival of John Morris and noted ''death- bowler'' Alan Walker should help but fourth-day sponsorship will remain hard to sell in the Championship. The large turnover of staff has closed the generation gap with the New Jersey-born former Kent batsman, Jonathan Longley, one to watch. Two fast bowlers, Steven Lugsden and Melvyn Betts, have been taken on after trials last summer and representing England Under-19s, but Anderson Cummins will still have much to do. Their should be no lack of inspirational leadership - new captain Phil Bainbridge topped the batting and bowling averages last sea- son - and they have already gained a win. It was only against Ox- ford University but that is more than they have previously achieved. 1993: BAC: Last. AXA: 7th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: 1st rd. In: Melvyn Betts, Shaun Birbeck, Jonathan Longley (Kent), John Morris (Derbys), Mark Saxelby (Notts), Alan Walker (Northants), Peter Wilcox, Robin Weston. Out: Ian Botham (ret), Mark Briers, John Glendenen, Simon Hughes (ret), Paul Parker (ret). Capt: ??. O/s: Anderson Cummins. DERBYSHIRE The presence of a trophy in the pavilion, rather than the bail- iffs, leads to justified optimism at Derby. The Benson & Hedges Cup triumph, secured in a gripping final against Lancashire, was a considerable achievement given the season-long loss of Ian Bishop and fears for the county's future. Under a new administration the finances have been improved enough to increase the cricket budget enabling the capture of Phillip DeFreitas, whose arrival has taken on greater importance since Bishop has again been ruled out. DeFreitas has been promised an all-rounder's role - and suggested while wintering with Boland in South Africa that he could thrive in it. Bishop has been replaced by Mohammad Azharuddin, whose return (he made 1,773 runs at 55.40 in 1991) should more than compensate for the loss of John Morris. Lack of spinning strength remains the main worry for a Championship challenge. Derbyshire will be hop- ing for a damp enough summer to keep the pitches green. 1993: BAC: 15th. AXA: 10th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: Winners. In: Mohammad Azharuddin (India), Phillip DeFreitas (Lancs), Greg Pooley (Middx), Alan Richardson (Staffs), Matthew Taylor, Colin Wells (Sussex). Out: Ian Bishop (injured), John Morris (Durham). Capt: Kim Barnett. O/s: Azharuddin (new). LANCASHIRE Last season proved another sorry mess for Lancashire. Three managers in seven years and still no Championship since 1934, the biggest membership in the country carries on chuntering. And yet they reached their fourth one- day final in four years and in John Crawley and Jason Gallian have two of the best bats- men to emerge from the Universities since Michael Atherton. Those three and a Neil Fairbrother freed of the cares of captaincy make a formidable quartet. Mike Watkinson, a solid choice as the new captain, also has the proven and promising all-round talents of Wasim Akram and Glen Chapple to call on. It will be interesting to see how Graham Lloyd, unsettled last year, responds to having his father as coach. But, with Phillip DeFreitas gone, Wasim heading for Sri Lanka in July and Atherton and Crawley bound for Test duty, that elusive Championship is as far off as ever. 1993: BAC: 13th. AXA: 6th. NW: 1st rd. B & H: finalists. In: Chris Brown, Andrew Flintoff, Richard Green, Nicholas Harvey (Berkshire), Peter Seal, Darren Shadford. Out: Gareth Cordingley, Dexter Fitton, Stuart Fletcher, Phillip DeFreitas (Derbys), Ronnie Irani (Essex), Gehan Mendis, Marcus Sharp. Capt: Mike Watkinson (new). O/s: Wasim Akram. LEICESTERSHIRE Not just a team, but now a club without a star following the exit of their chief executive Mike Turner after 33 years at the helm. The impact of Turner's departure - Wisden described him as being ''unceremoniously dumped'' - will take time to assess. Certainly there is no immediate prospect of a return to the glory years he engineered with Ray Illingworth. On the pitch there will be, as far as Trinidadians are concerned, a star in Phil Simmons. Though Leicestershire would love to have been able to afford the island's favourite son, Simmons should be explosive enough even if the Grace Road pudding will help his gentle seamers more than his straight hitting. How James Whitaker will react to being refused the chance to cap- tain Somerset (Leicestershire blocked the move) will be important given the slow progress of Ben Smith. So will the fitness of Da- vid Millns who, with Alan Mullally, could provide a potent cut- ting edge. 1993: BAC: 9th. AXA: 14th. NW: 2nd rd. B & H: s-f. In: Tim Mason, Alamgir Sheriyar, Phil Simmons (Trinidad), Ian Stanger, Iain Sutcliffe. Out: Jeremy Allport, Justin Benson (Ireland), Russell Cobb, Nero De Silva, Laurie Potter, Winston Benjamin (Hants). Capt: Nigel Briers. O/s: Simmons (new). MIDDLESEX Having gone top without quite knowing how, Middlesex gained suf- ficient confidence to run off with the title. A model of stabili- ty, despite the vocal dressing-room and field, they were ideally suited to four-day cricket with quality spinners and a deep bat- ting order. A repeat? Possibly, but much will depend on Test calls and fit- ness although the 2nd XI's success indicates the depth of reserves available. Surprisingly no batsmen made 1,000 Champion- ship runs, though Mike Gatting finished only nine short. However, three players took 50 wickets, including John Emburey, who also averaged 49 with the bat to become the domestic player of the season. A worrying injury - a detached retina - means he is unlikely to find form until early May. Keith Dutch, 21, the 2nd XI player of the year, waits in the wings. With 11 trophies in 14 years, winning has become a habit without, as Gatting enters his 12th season as captain, any loss of desire. Contenders. 1993: BAC: Winners. AXA: 8th. NW: 1st rd. B & H: 1st rd. In: Kevin Shine (Hants). Out: Norman Cowans (Hants), Matthew Keech (Hants). Capt: Mike Gatting. O/s: Desmond Haynes. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Their 80th season in search of the grail and, while there was once a time when Northamptonshire were just pleased to be play- ing, these days the mood is when, not if, the Championship will be won. With Allan Lamb having grown into the captaincy, Curtly Ambrose at his formidable peak and plenty of support with bat and ball, it could be this year. But the four-day game has exposed weaknesses in playing and purveying spin away from Wantage Road; last summer's record of seven home wins and one away tells the tale. Andrew Cottam, from Somerset, will add to the tweaking resources though, like Andy Roberts and Nick Cook, he may become rusty waiting for an early-season bowl. After Mal Loye rewarded the county's faith last season, Phil Neale, their astute director of cricket, will be hoping for simi- lar progress from Richard Warren and Richard Montgomerie, when he comes down from Oxford. 1993: BAC: 4th. AXA: 5th. NW: q-f. B & H: s-f. In: Andrew Cottam (Somerset), Ismail Dawood (Yorks), Tom Harris- on, Jonathan Lewis (Wiltshire), David Roberts, David Sales. Out: Wayne Noon (Notts), Richard Pearson (Essex), Neil Stanley, Jamie Tomlinson, Alan Walker (Durham). Capt: Allan Lamb. O/s: Curtly Ambrose. NOTTINGHAMSHIRE The signing of Jimmy Adams looked an increasingly shrewd bit of work this winter as the Jamaican displayed his all- round talents in the Caribbean. Then came the realisation that Nottinghamshire had turned down Brian Lara over his financial demands. But Adams will do a good job and there should be some good crick- et at Trent Bridge with England's enigma, Chris Lewis, available more than previously anticipated and Paul Johnson back in harness after an unhappy 1993. He was not the only one and in the annual purge their manager Mike Hendrick paid the price. Tim Robinson survived again and is back in charge. The old terror track has, like Hadlee and Rice, long gone and the talented Andy Afford can expect another good season. Not- tinhamshire are a cup possibility but they lack the seam-bowling depth for a sustained title challenge. 1993: BAC: 7th. AXA: 17th. NW: 2nd rd. B&H: 1st rd. In: Jimmy Adams (Jamaica), Wayne Noon (Northants). Out: Steven Bramhall, Chris Cairns (New Zealand), Derek Randall (ret), Mark Saxelby (Durham). Capt: Tim Robinson. O/s: Adams. SOMERSET The best time to be a Somerset fan since the days of Richards, Botham and Garner. Though Mushtaq Ahmed and Andy Caddick won't provide quite the same excitement - they can leave that to Mark Lathwell and Adrianus Van Troost - they are the key figures on the field. Even Botham and company were unable to deliver a ti- tle, and if Somerset are to finally claim the pennant Mushtaq and Caddick will have to compensate for batting weaknesses. However, Caddick's effectiveness last season diminished rapidly once he had secured selection for England while Mushtaq heads for Sri Lanka with Pakistan in July. So much also rests on whether Van Troost can bowl with more penetration without losing speed, and the efforts of the stalwarts Neil Mallender and Graham Rose. A return to form by Lathwell will be welcomed by Somerset's new captain, Andy Hayhurst, third choice after John Morris and James Whitaker. Maybe not the title, but worth following in the cups. 1993: BAC: 5th. AXA: Last. NW: s-f. B & H: q-f. In: Paul Bird, Ian Bond, Vincent Clarke, Matthew Diamond, Piran Holloway (Warwicks). Out: Andrew Cottam (Northants), Chris Tavare (ret), Giles White (Hants). Capt: Andy Hayhurst (new). O/s: Mushtaq Ahmed. SURREY Surrey's recent actions bring to mind Keith Burkinshaw's parting shot at Tottenham Hotspur - ''there used to be a football club over there''. The departure of club stalwarts from the coach Ge- off Arnold to the dressing-room steward, a change in the county's fiscal status and, especially, an 11th successive barren season were more important to members than a record profit and the tur- moil continues. Ironically, on the pitch there were signs of progress although, given their early form, the final standings were disappointing. They are not likely to be improved this year with Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe Test probables and the Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis absent through injury and unavailability. In comes Cameron Cuffy, billed as both looking and bowling like Curtly Ambrose, which could be interesting on The Oval's pitches. Given the depth in most positions they could surprise if Cuffy shines. An important season for both Bicknells. 1993: BAC: 6th. AXA: 3rd. NW: q-f. B&H: 1st rd. In: Cameron Cuffy (Windward Islands), Mark Kenlock, Gregor Kennis, Jason de la Pena (Gloucs), Tony Pigott (Sussex), David Thompson. Out: Rehan Alikhan, Paul Atkins, Danny Kelleher, Ian Ward. Capt: Alec Stewart. O/s: Cuffy (new). SUSSEX How can you lift a side after losing a cup final the way Sussex did to Warwickshire in the NatWest Trophy last September? The Martlets answer was a week in Malaga for pre-season training which might have given one or two players an early chance to im- press Ray Illingworth in his nearby holiday home. Alan Wells should be the best hope to join Ian Salisbury in the Test set-up but Martin Speight and Paul Jarvis are more likely candidates in the current ageist mood. At Yorkshire Jarvis gained a reputation as much for injuries as wickets but, in the recuperative Hove climate, he could prove a valuable addition in an area of weakness, notwithstanding the promise of Danny Law. That, and Hove's placid wickets, will tell against them in the Championship but they will again be a one-day force. 1993: BAC: 10th. AXA: 4th. NW: finalists. B&H: q-f. In: Paul Jarvis (Yorkshire), Jason Lewry, Nicky Phillips. Out: Brad Donelan (Warwicks, trial), Adrian Jones (ret), Tony Pi- gott (Surrey), Colin Wells (Derbys). Capt: Alan Wells. O/s: Franklyn Stephenson. WARWICKSHIRE Sore ears on the switchboard, a back injury for the postman and 375 reasons to smile in the committee room. Poor Manoj Prabhakar: once the prospect of signing Brian Lara loomed even Superman would have struggled to convince Warwickshire he was fit. It will take more than the brilliant Trinidadian to lift Warwickshire from 16th to first in the Championship but, as the booming membership suggests, cricket is not yet just about win- ning. That is not to say the epic NatWest Trophy success was not appreciated, especially by that inveterate competitor, Dermot Reeve. With Lara in the team another one-day trophy must be a chance and there will not be a shortage of runs in four-day cricket - the coach, Bob Woolmer, keen to instil the need to occupy the crease, could not have found a better example. But the lack of bowling, even with the addition of the slow left-armer Richard Davis, rules out a Championship attempt. 1993: BAC: 16th. AXA: 11th. NW: Winners. B & H: 1st rd. In: Darren Altree, Richard Davis (Kent), Brad Donelan (Sussex, trial), Tony Frost, Brian Lara (Trinidad), Mike Powell. Out: Paul Booth, Allan Donald (on tour), Piran Holloway (Somer- set), Matthew Robinson. Capt: Dermot Reeve. O/s: Lara (new). WORCESTERSHIRE From second-bottom to second-top, four-day cricket clearly struck a chord with Worcestershire, who ended with five straight wins to steal the runner-up spot. This was achieved with minimal late input from Kenny Benjamin, who was rather more effective for the West Indies, so back comes the crashing blade of Tom Moody. With him and Graeme Hick in middle order, the reliable Tim Curtis opening, and the likes of Steve Rhodes and Phil Newport lower down, the Sunday League looks a possibility. To be real Championship contenders, however, the promise of Gavin Haynes and Philip Weston (when he finishes at Loughborough University) needs to be realised and even then, as the approach for Phillip DeFreitas underlined, the bowling looks light. 1993: BAC: 2nd. AXA: 16th. NW: q-f. B & H: q-f. In: Matthew Brooke, Ben McCorkill, Parvez Mirza, Tom Moody (Aus), Ben Preece. Out: Kenny Benjamin (Denton, Lancs Co Lge), Martin Weston (Here- fordshire). Capt: Tim Curtis. O/s: Moody (new). YORKSHIRE Judging by the talent pouring from the Yorkshire Academy - every young England team are replete with Tyke accents - the county are not far off becoming a force again. But, are the members happy to wait? A winter of rare stability, despite changes in the coaching hierarchy, suggests they will, which is fortunate as a quiet sea- son is in prospect. There is quality in the team. Darren Gough's England A tour hint- ed at a breakthrough to the full national side and Richard Stemp has already been picked out by Ray Illingworth. However, Richie Richardson is likely to become exhausted just working out where the big run-making support is going to come from, although there are several solid performers led by Martyn Moxon and David Byas. Keep an eye out for the rapidly maturing opening bat, Michael Vaughan, the England Under-19 captain. 1993: BAC: 12th. AXA: 9th. NW: q-f. B & H: 1st rd. In: Gary Keedy, Anthony McGrath. Out: Phil Carrick (ret), Paul Jarvis (Sussex). Capt: Martyn Moxon. O/s: Richie Richardson. (Thanks : The Independent) Contributed by Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)