Codrington, when his appointment is confirmed, takes over in September when Joe Hardstaff retires, and organising a championship celebration party could be one of his first jobs.

Since the introduction of the four-day championship, Middlesex have been in contention twice in mid-season -the inaugural year of 1993, when they held on to first place, and 1995, when they finished second.

At the start of today's match against Kent, they lie fourth, 20 points behind Glamorgan at the top and two ahead of their opponents.

Codrington, 41 last Friday, was a club cricketer at Barnes and, more significantly, a rugby player at Richmond, where he became the club's first paid administrator in 1991 before the general onset of full-blown professionalism in the game.

Kent return to the scene of their recent Benson and Hedges Cup final disappointment with their credibility in tatters after three consecutive championship defeats.

Both sides have suffered from inconsistent upper-order batting and Kent, especially, are beginning to reach crisis point, hoping that Ed Smith, the Cambridge University opener, can change the pattern.

Mike Gatting has been batting too well for Middlesex to emulate Graham Gooch's sudden decision to end his career after the match at Chelmsford, with Essex lying in second place.

Worcestershire, Essex's opponents, have been punished by Gooch's willow many times before and the absence of Phil Newport, with a calf muscle injury, weakens their seam attack as though in preparation for a Gooch onslaught in his 391st first-class match for his county.

Waqar Younis, whose fast bowling has pushed Glamorgan clear at the top, must be licking his lips at the prospect of a bouncy Chesterfield pitch and bottom-placed Derbyshire, whose last two championship games, both away, have ended in innings defeats.

The title race is wide open, and even Somerset, strengthened by Mushtaq Ahmed's leg-spin, cannot be written off in 10th place if they defeat Warwickshire at Edgbaston, starting tomorrow.

Before that the two sides play the first competitive match under floodlights in this country with tonight's AXA Life game at Edgbaston.

Warwickshire are anticipating a gate in excess of 10,000, nearly double their average Sunday League crowd. They have sold 4,500 tickets in advance and expect members to push the figure over 10,000.

Warwickshire will return to the top of the Sunday League table on a superior run rate if they overcome Somerset.