2009 season preview

The 2009 season is upon us. The England players barely had enough time to unpack their cases after returning from the Caribbean and the county action was under way.

Fans of domestic cricket have seen the LV= County Championship decided on the final day of the season for the last two years, and all attention will be on Durham as they attempt to defend the first title in their history.

Essex will be keen to keep the Friends Provident Trophy at Chelmsford, while Middlesex - victors in another sensational Twenty20 Cup final in 2008 - are the current kings in the shortest form of the game.

Who can forget Murray Goodwin's six off the final ball of the game to secure NatWest Pro40 glory for Sussex at Nottinghamshire's expense last summer? Whoever triumphs this season will go down in history as the last winners of the competition, which is in its final year.

Whether you want to find out which players have moved where over the winter, keep up to date with the latest domestic news, or simply enjoy our blogs from around the country, ecb.co.uk is the place to be.

Our reporters have been keeping tabs on all the counties as another eagerly-awaited domestic campaign swings into action...

	Derbyshire pulled off a major winter coup with the signing of Stuart Law on a limited-overs contract, although they will be without key seamer Charl Langeveldt for the early part of the season. England Under-19 batsman Dan Redfern has made no secret of his intention to make a name for himself.
	Shivnarine Chanderpaul and David Warner may be arriving at the Riverside this year, but Durham head coach Geoff Cook is confident enough to start to the season without an overseas player. The county champions will be led by Will Smith, who is charged with filling Dale Benkenstein's sizeable boots. Smith now has designs on domination in all forms of the game.
	Essex, fresh from their triumph in the pre-season Pro ARCH Trophy in the UAE, are buoyed by the news that Graham Napier and James Foster have pledged their futures to the club. Ravi Bopara, meanwhile, will miss the start of the domestic season due to Indian Premier League commitments.
	Glamorgan begin the new season in rude financial health, and with Australian batsman Mark Cosgrove amongst their ranks. Supporters in Cardiff can also look forward to seeing the explosive Herschelle Gibbs later in the campaign.
	John Bracewell has outlined his blueprint for success as he begins a second stint at Gloucestershire, with the help of club legend Jack Russell. James Franklin is the most notable addition to a side that failed to win a championship game last season and prompted Jon Lewis to stand down as captain.
	Australia all-rounder Marcus North will cover for Pakistani leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who made such an impact in 2008, during the early stages of this season. Cricket manager Giles White insists he is happy with the quality of his squad, having tied six players down on new contracts, and Nic Pothas salutes the impact of Duncan Fletcher during his spell as a consultant.
	Kent's capture of Stuart Clark ahead of the Ashes caused much debate in England and Australia, but the return of James Hockley and Rob Ferley for second spells at Canterbury drew much less attention. A knee injury will keep England seamer Amjad Khan out of action at the start of the season.
	Former England coach Peter Moores' arrival at Lancashire was the most high-profile close-season signing, and he is keen to help his former employers by improving the current crop of players at Old Trafford. Chief executive Jim Cumbes has high hopes for the 2009 campaign, while Paul Horton and Sajid Mahmood have set their own ambitious targets.
	Leicestershire's seam attack has been bolstered by the capture of New Zealander Iain O'Brien, while the Foxes underlined their forward-thinking approach by signing Australia all-rounder Andrew McDonald for 2010. Dillon Du Preez will not be returning to Grace Road this summer, but AJ Harris moves across the midlands from Nottinghamshire.
	Middlesex, under the stewardship of newly-appointed director of cricket Angus Fraser, will begin the season with highly-rated Australia batsman Phil Hughes at their disposal. Twenty20 Cup winners as the Crusaders in 2008, they will now play under as Middlesex Panthers in one-day cricket.
	David Sales is determined to end Northamptonshire's 13-year wait for an appearance in a Lord's final while Nicky Boje believes Monty Panesar's possible greater availability can only help. They welcome Lee Daggett and Ryan Cummins to their squad for 2009 as they attempt to win promotion to LV= County Championship Division One after falling short last season.
	Samit Patel is determined to win back his England place after being dropped due to fitness concerns, while Nottinghamshire will also benefit from the presence of returning overseas player Adam Voges and the new Brown boys, Ali and Jason. Nottinghamshire batsman Matthew Wood says his side are keen to go one better than last season where they finished runners-up.
	A quiet winter at Taunton was notable for Marcus Trescothick winning the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, while Andy Caddick, who turned 40 in the close-season, began preparations for his testimonial year. On the playing front, former Kent and England Under-19 seamer David Stiff arrives hoping to earn an extention to his short-term deal.
	Surrey captain Mark Butcher is treating relegation from championship as a fresh start - also referred to as a "new journey" by chief executive Gus Mackay. Chris Adams is the new cricket manager at the Brit Oval, while Surrey legends Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe and Martin Bicknell will play their part.
	Chris Adams' retirement represents the beginning of a new Sussex era under Mike Yardy, who will be unable to call upon legendary leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed - at least in a playing capacity - this year. The club, however, harbour high hopes for youngster Joe Gatting, nephew of former England captain Mike, while Luke Wright is eager to impress the England selectors.
	The evergreen Darren Maddy is determined to become a better player after handing over the captaincy reins to Ian Westwood, while England Lions' Jonathan Trott believes Warwickshire can add to last season's LV= County Championship Division Two crown. Ian Bell is keen to earn an England recall - and director of cricket Ashley Giles is confident he will do so.
	Director of cricket Steve Rhodes is putting his faith in the younger generation as Worcestershire get used to life without Graeme Hick, while the improving Stephen Moore aims to press on following a winter with England Lions. Vikram Solanki, fresh from signing a new four-year contract, remains as captain.
	Yorkshire, led for a second time by Anthony McGrath following Darren Gough's retirement, will look once again to rejuvenated all-rounder Tim Bresnan - providing England don't come calling. Jacques Rudolph says the White Rose must find a top-order solution to the problem of accommodating Michael Vaughan.