COUNTY BY COUNTY GUIDE TO THE 2012 SEASON by Marcus Hook 

DERBYSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The last addition to the trophy cabinet came in 1993, when they won the Benson & Hedges Cup.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Derbyshire have a decent seam attack. For the first time in six seasons, the Falcons had more wins than losses in 40-over cricket in 2011.
PROBLEM AREAS: Promising as they are, Chesney Hughes and Dan Redfern are yet to show consistency with the bat. Tom Poynton, who replaces Luke Sutton behind the stumps, lacks first team experience. Also, Derbyshire are one of only three teams yet to reach Twenty20 finals day.
KEY PLAYER: Wayne Madsen - after averaging just 26.92 with the bat in the championship last year, he needs to return to form in order to lead from the front.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old left-hander, Dan Redfern.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 6th; CB40: 6th in Group C; FLt20: 6th in the North Group.
INS: Chris Durham and David Wainwright (Yor).
OUTS: Steffan Jones (ret), Greg Smith (Ess) and Luke Sutton (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Martin Guptill (NZ, for the first half of the season), Usman Khawaja (Aus, for the second half of the season, including Twenty20) and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Pak, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: Wayne Madsen takes over from Luke Sutton as captain. Karl Krikken replaced John Morris as head coach in June of last year.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Tony Palladino (broken jaw).
OTHER NEWS: Looking ahead to his first season in charge, Derbyshire's skipper, Wayne Madsen has said: "We know we've got quite a young outfit that is fairly inexperienced and it's going to be a good challenge to see where we can take it over the next few seasons. This is a great opportunity for me to lead a young squad and put my stamp on the job. I want us to play positive cricket and, with youngsters, that means no fear cricket. That's the way we are going to learn - by being aggressive - and when the pressure situations come about, that's when we really want to take it by the scruff of the neck. If you are timid with a young squad, you can just get steamrollered."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 14-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 33-1 joint outsiders. Friends Life Twenty20: 33-1 joint outsiders.

DURHAM
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: County champions in 2008 and 2009.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The batting - eleven of their batsmen made first-class hundreds in 2011. Durham have won the most championship matches over the last three seasons. Also, no side has lost fewer during the same period.
PROBLEM AREAS: Head coach Geoff Cook has resisted bringing in new blood. That said, Scott Borthwick and Ben Stokes should keep the old stagers in the squad on their toes.
KEY PLAYER: Graham Onions - despite missing five championship matches in 2011, he still headed the bowling with 50 wickets.
RISING STAR: 20-year-old all-rounder, Ben Stokes.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 5th; CB40: Winners; FLt20: Semi-finalists.
INS: None. OUTS: Kyle Coetzer (Nor), Mark Davies (Ken) and Ben Harmison (Ken).
OVERSEAS 2012: Herschelle Gibbs (RSA, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Stephen Harmison (ankle).
OTHER NEWS: Durham have only ever reached Twenty20 finals day on one occasion, in 2008, when they lost to Middlesex in the semi-finals. However, the Dynamos skipper, Phil Mustard is upbeat as to his side's chances in 2012. He said: "I think we've now got a good idea of what works for us in Twenty20. It's just about putting it into action. Last year we got knocked out in the quarters, so there's definite signs of improvement. If we can find that extra one or two percent from each individual throughout the season, it will stand us in good stead."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 4-1 favourites. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 13-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 12-1.

ESSEX
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won three one-day trophies between 2005 and 2008.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The acquisition of Greg Smith and Charl Willoughby, two established county cricketers, shows real intent. The Eagles have had more wins than losses in 40-over cricket in each of the last four years, plus they have bits and pieces players aplenty.
PROBLEM AREAS: David Masters carried the bowling attack in the championship in 2011, but Willoughby will help to relieve him of that burden in 2012.
KEY PLAYER: David Masters, who was the leading wicket-taker in last summer's County Championship - 13 wickets clear of Middlesex's Tim Murtagh in second.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old right-hander, Adam Wheater.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 2nd; CB40: Semi-finalists; FLt20: Semi-finalists.
INS: Ben Foakes, Greg Smith (Der) and Charl Willoughby (Som).
OUTS: Chris Wright (War).
OVERSEAS 2012: Alviro Petersen (RSA, for the first half of the season), Peter Siddle (Aus, Twenty20 only) and Brendan Taylor (Zim, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook (both on international duty in Sri Lanka), and Ryan ten Doeschate and Owais Shah (both IPL).
OTHER NEWS: Graham Gooch has stepped down as Essex batting coach to focus full-time on his coaching role with England. England's all-time highest Test run scorer, who hands the baton to Matt Walker, said: "I'm sad that I am unable to continue my Essex coaching duties. I never wanted to relinquish this role at the club but as my England commitments have grown it is impossible to do justice to both roles."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 5-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 8-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 14-1.

GLAMORGAN
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The last addition to the trophy cabinet came in 2004, when they won the totesport League.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The dressing room is said to be a much happier place with Alviro Petersen moving on to be succeeded, as captain, by Mark Wallace.
PROBLEM AREAS: Only once have the Dragons reached the knockout phase of the Twenty20 Cup in the last seven years.
KEY PLAYER: James Harris - the one man capable of making early inroads with the ball, apart from Simon Jones, of course; but, sadly, his career has been blighted by injury in recent years.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old right-arm seamer, James Harris.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 4th; CB40: 6th in Group B; FLt20: 6th in the Midlands/Wales/West Group.
INS: Michael Hogan (as a UK national) and Simon Jones (Ham).
OUTS: David Brown (ret), Michael Powell (Ken) and Adam Shantry (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Moises Henriques (Aus, initially) and Marcus North (Aus, after his finger injury has healed or the birth of his second child, whichever is later).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: Mark Wallace takes over from Alviro Petersen as captain.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: James Harris (groin).
OTHER NEWS: The Dragons have changed their name to the Welsh Dragons. Alan Hamer, Glamorgan’s chief executive, said: “2012 promises to be an exciting season and our decision to be called the Welsh Dragons in one-day cricket re-enforces the pride and passion displayed by both our players and supporters.” Not so exciting, in fact deeply worrying, was the £1.7m operating loss Glamorgan posted in 2011. Meanwhile, their coach, Matthew Mott, has been put in charge of Elite Performance by the Club.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 8-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 33-1 joint outsiders. Friends Life Twenty20: 33-1 joint outsiders.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The last addition to the trophy cabinet came in 2004, when they won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Gloucestershire cannot be accused of being humdrum - no side has drawn fewer championship matches over the last three seasons.
PROBLEM AREAS: Losing top-class seamers - in the last two years Hussain, Kirby and now Lewis have all moved on to pastures new. Playing at Cheltenham - since 1998 Gloucestershire have only won twice there in the championship, but have tasted defeat on 15 occasions. Essex and Leicestershire are looking forward to July already.
KEY PLAYER: Will Gidman - 1,006 runs and 51 wickets in the championship last year speaks for itself.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old left-hander, Chris Dent.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 9th; CB40: 4th in Group A; FLt20: 4th in the Midlands/Wales/West Group.
INS: Dan Housego (Mid).
OUTS: Vikram Banerjee, Jon Lewis (Sur) and Chris Taylor.
OVERSEAS 2012: Muttiah Muralitharan (SL, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: All fit and raring to go.
OTHER NEWS: Gloucestershire have claimed the rejection of their redevelopment plans will make it "almost impossible" for the club to remain in Bristol. In January, redevelopment proposals were rejected by Bristol City Council's Planning Committee by six votes to four, much to the dismay of Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson who said: "We are bitterly disappointed. This decision means that the international cricket programme in Bristol now stops and will be lost forever. Furthermore, our overall future in Bristol is also in doubt. It is no secret that Gloucester would be very keen to have us. "The funding from the development will be lost and the city (Bristol) risks losing what could be its only sports stadium. We need to consider our options, but time is running out."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 9-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 24-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 28-1.

HAMPSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Followed up winning the Friends Provident Trophy in 2009 with the Twenty20 Cup in 2010.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Opener Michael Carberry is fit again, after suffering a blood clot in his lung, and Simon Katich looks like a great overseas signing.
PROBLEM AREAS: The bowling - no Hampshire bowler managed to take forty or more first-class wickets in 2011. Furthermore, no side has won fewer championship matches over the last three seasons.
KEY PLAYER: Neil McKenzie - prominent with the bat in all three codes last summer.
RISING STAR: 20-year-old slow left-armer, Danny Briggs.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 3rd; CB40: 4th in Group B; FLt20: 4th in the South Group.
INS: Sean Terry.
OUTS: Dominic Cork (ret), Friedel de Wet, Simon Jones (Gla), Michael Lumb (Not), Jamie Miller, Johann Myburgh and Nic Pothas.
OVERSEAS 2012: Simon Katich (Aus).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: Jimmy Adams takes over from Dominic Cork as captain.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Kabir Ali (ankle) and Dimitri Mascarenhas (IPL).
OTHER NEWS: On top of the Rose Bowl being renamed the Ageas Bowl, in December, Eastleigh Borough Council voted in favour of a plan to buy the ground for £6.5m to rent it back to Hampshire County Cricket Club. The council is expected to spend £32m building a four-star hotel next to the venue, which made a loss of nearly £900,000 last year.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 3-1 favourites. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 12-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 12-1.

KENT
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won the Twenty20 Cup in 2007.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Seven of Kent's bowlers took five-wicket hauls in last year's County Championship, which put them joint first with Durham, Surrey and Warwickshire.
PROBLEM AREAS: The batting under-performed massively last term and the bowling probably lacks the depth needed to make the hop county a promotion-winning side in 2012.
KEY PLAYER: Rob Key - he missed four championship matches in 2011, owing to an injured wrist, and Kent lost three of them. Need I say more?
RISING STAR: 21-year-old right-arm seamer, Matt Coles.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 5th; CB40: 5th in Group C; FLt20: 6th in the South Group.
INS: Fabian Cowdrey, Mark Davies (Dur), Ben Harmison (Dur), Benedict Kemp, Scott Newman (Mid, on loan), Michael Powell (Gla), Charlie Shreck (Not) and Ivan Thomas.
OUTS: Joe Denly (Mid), Robbie Joseph (Lei) and Martin van Jaarsveld (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Brendan Nash (WI).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: The former West Indies batsman Jimmy Adams replaces Paul Farbrace as director of cricket.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Azhar Mahmood (IPL) and James Tredwell (on international duty in Sri Lanka).
OTHER NEWS: Rob Key believes Kent are capable of proving their doubters wrong this summer. The Spitfires' captain has said: “When you’re the underdogs and people write you off, it’s not a bad place to be because that’s when we won the Twenty20 final, when no-one gave us a price of winning it even after we got to finals day."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 10-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 20-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 20-1.

LANCASHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The current county champions.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The bowling attack is still as good as any around, as was proved in the warm-up game against the MCC in Abu Dhabi.
PROBLEM AREAS: Lancashire lack a batsman capable of making daddy hundreds.
KEY PLAYER: Gary Keedy - like Old Man River, the red rose county need the veteran spinner to keep rolling along, even with Kerrigan bursting through.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old slow left-armer, Simon Kerrigan.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 4th; CB40: 3rd in Group A; FLt20: 4th in the North Group.
INS: Naqaash Tahir (War).
OUTS: Steven Cheetham and Mark Chilton (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Ashwell Prince (RSA).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: James Anderson (on international duty in Sri Lanka).
OTHER NEWS: Lancashire may have won the County Championship last season, but they have just reported the biggest financial loss in county cricket. Having lost £2.1m in 2010, last year saw an operating deficit of £3.96m. A judicial review costing £520,000, and £1.8m in depreciation were contributory factors.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 5-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 9-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 12-1.

LEICESTERSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Twenty20 Cup holders.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Most pundits will say that, without James Taylor, Leicestershire don't stand a chance, which means they've got absolutely nothing to lose. The Foxes have never lost in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20 Cup.
PROBLEM AREAS: No side scored fewer batting points in last year's County Championship and just two bowlers managed five-wicket hauls - the least of any county. Leicestershire have not recorded more wins than losses in 40-over cricket since the format was re-introduced in 2006.
KEY PLAYER: Will Jefferson - the only English batsman on Leicestershire's books with more than three first-class hundreds in the bank.
RISING STAR: 20-year-old right-arm seamer, Nathan Buck.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 8th; CB40: 5th in Group A; FLt20: Quarter-finalists.
INS: Robbie Joseph (Ken) and James Sykes.
OUTS: Harry Gurney (Not), Tom New, Paul Nixon (ret) and James Taylor (Not).
OVERSEAS 2012: Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: All fit and raring to go.
OTHER NEWS: The retiring Paul Nixon turned down a full-time coaching position with Leicestershire in favour of becoming the Foxes' club ambassador, which allows him to continue his association with Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League. However, Ben Smith, the former Worcestershire and Leicestershire batsman, returns to Grace Road as batting coach.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 20-1 outsiders. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 25-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 14-1.

MIDDLESEX
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won the Twenty20 Cup in 2008.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Following a run of 83 runs in seven Test innings for England, Eoin Morgan has been told to go back to county cricket and rediscover his form… after another stint in the IPL. Middlesex picked up the most batting points in last year's County Championship.
PROBLEM AREAS: The absence of a proven spinner - in 2011, Ollie Rayner took just 11 wickets in eight championship appearances. The Panthers have only reached the knockout phase of the Twenty20 Cup once in the last six years.
KEY PLAYER: Corey Collymore - Middlesex need the veteran West Indian to continue forging a potent new-ball partnership with Tim Murtagh.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old right-hander, Sam Robson.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 7th; CB40: 2nd in Group A; FLt20: 5th in the South Group.
INS: Joe Denly (Ken), Ollie Rayner (Sus) and Ollie Wilkin.
OUTS: Jamie Dalrymple, Dan Housego (Glo), Scott Newman (Ken, on loan) and Ben Scott (Wor).
OVERSEAS 2012: Chris Rogers (Aus).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Steven Finn and Andrew Strauss (both on international duty in Sri Lanka) and Eoin Morgan (IPL).
OTHER NEWS: Division Two champions in 2011, Middlesex enter the 2012 on a high thanks also to a successful pre-season trip to Cape Town in South Africa. Skipper Neil Dexter has said: "We look in really good shape and the spirit in the dressing room here right now is as good as I’ve known anywhere. We’ve strengthened the batting at the top of the order and have a great blend of youth and experience on the bowling front. We may see a little bit more of Steven Finn this season, Gareth Berg is injury-free for the first time in almost two years and Toby Roland-Jones continues to impress with his talent and is bound to press for a place. We may not have a big name spinner, but we have three young spinners all vying for a start, while Joe Denly and Dawid (Malan) can both chip in with some leg-spin. I feel we have good balance and a greater strength in depth now, which is what you’d want in a promoted side.”
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 10-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 14-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 25-1.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The last addition to the trophy cabinet came in 1992, when they won the NatWest Trophy.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Northants lost just two championship matches in 2011. England Lions seamer Jack Brooks, who missed half of last season with a back problem, is back to full fitness.
PROBLEM AREAS: The batting - no one managed 1,000 first-class runs in 2011. Also, the Steelbacks have not registered more wins than losses in 40-over cricket since 2006.
KEY PLAYER: Chaminda Vaas - 70 championship wickets at an average of 21.44 last summer. Northamptonshire will need more of the same if they are to entertain hopes of promotion.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old right-hander, Rob Newton.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: 7th; CB40: 4th in Group C; FLt20: 5th in the Midlands/Wales/West Group.
INS: Kyle Coetzer (Dur), Con de Lange (as a UK national) and Sam Sweeney.
OUTS: Mal Loye and David Lucas (Wor).
OVERSEAS 2012: Chaminda Vaas (SL) and Cameron White (Aus, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Luke Evans (bulging disc).
OTHER NEWS: Former Warwickshire batsmen David Smith has been named as Mark Tagg's replacement as chief executive of Northants Cricket. Smith, who has previously worked with his former county, Leicestershire and the ECB said: "The club has made real progress both on and off the field over the past few years. The ground development has improved the facilities on offer to all visitors to the County Ground. The team have narrowly missed out on promotion to Division One in the LV= County Championship twice in the last three years, as well as appearing in a t20 Finals Day. This indicates a good quality playing staff, and I am looking forward to working with the coach David Capel and the Board of Directors to bring future success to the club."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 7-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 22-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 25-1.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: County champions in 2010.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: To address their batting failures in 2011, Notts have drafted in proven quality in the shape of Michael Lumb and James Taylor.
PROBLEM AREAS: Only three batsmen made championship hundreds last term - joint fewest with Worcestershire. Also, after winning their first three four-day matches, Notts scored just two more victories in the last thirteen.
KEY PLAYER: Andre Adams - with Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann inked in as England players, the veteran New Zealander has taken 135 championship wickets in the last two years.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old right-hander, James Taylor.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: Winners; CB40: 5th in Group B; FLt20: Quarter-finalists.
INS: Brett Hutton, Harry Gurney (Lei), Sam Kelsall, Michael Lumb (Ham), James Taylor (Lei) and Sam Wood.
OUTS: Alistair Brown (ret), Akhil Patel, Charlie Shreck (Ken) and Mark Wagh (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Adam Voges (Aus).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Stuart Broad, Samit Patel and Graeme Swann (all of whom will be on international duty in Sri Lanka), Michael Lumb (IPL) and Darren Pattinson (back).
OTHER NEWS: Nottinghamshire declared a record profit for last year. The surplus further establishes the county as one of the most financially stable in the country. Strong ticket sales for international matches at Trent Bridge, higher attendances for T20 and an increase in membership contributed to a surplus of £542,210 to September 30, 2011. The results enhance the legacy of outgoing chief executive Derek Brewer, who left the county in December to succeed Keith Bradshaw as secretary and chief executive of MCC.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 6-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 14-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 10-1.

SOMERSET
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won the Twenty20 Cup in 2005.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Runs can come from anywhere in the order. Vernon Philander should give the bowling a cutting edge in the opening rounds. Somerset have won more matches than any other county in the Clydesdale Bank 40 in the last two seasons.
PROBLEM AREAS: Reaching finals only to lose them. They have finished runners-up in the Twenty20 Cup in each of the last three years, and runners-up in the CB40 in each of the last two.
KEY PLAYER: Marcus Trescothick, who was the leading run-maker in last summer's County Championship - 290 runs clear of Surrey's Zander de Bruyn, who was second.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, Jos Buttler.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 2nd; CB40: Runners-up; FLt20: Runners-up.
INS: None.
OUTS: Charl Willoughby (Ess).
OVERSEAS 2012: Vernon Philander (RSA, for the first two months of the season), Chris Gayle (WI, Twenty20 only) and Albie Morkel (RSA, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: All fit and raring to go.
OTHER NEWS: At the end of last year Somerset's director of cricket, Brian Rose hinted that 36-year-old Marcus Trescothick could be rested for this year's CB40 campaign. Rose told BBC Somerset: "The problem with Marcus is that he loves to play cricket for Somerset, but we need to have an understanding as I want to prolong his career and I'm sure he does, so we'll have a look at how we can accommodate both things."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 5-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 7-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 7-2 favourites.

SURREY
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Last year's winner of the Clydesdale Bank 40.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The batting - four batsmen made over 1,000 first-class runs in 2011 - not to mention the seam attack, which should benefit from having two bowlers, in Jade Dernbach and Chris Tremlett, keen to cement a place in the England team.
PROBLEM AREAS: The Lions roared into the first four Twenty20 finals days, but haven't qualified for the knockout phase since.
KEY PLAYER: Zander de Bruyn - because Mark Ramprakash isn't getting any younger and the middle order haven't played much Division One cricket.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old right-hander, Jason Roy.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 6th; CB40: 3rd in Group B; FLt20: Winners.
INS: Jon Lewis (Glo).
OUTS: Michael Brown (ret), Simon King and Chris Schofield.
OVERSEAS 2012: Jacques Rudolph (RSA, for the first two months of the season), Murali Kartik (Ind, from June onwards) and Dirk Nannes (Aus, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Steven Davies (on international duty in Sri Lanka), Kevin Pietersen (on international duty in Sri Lanka then the IPL) and Chris Tremlett (back).
OTHER NEWS: This year, Chris Adams has promised that Surrey will work harder, be better prepared and will commit more than their opponents. He said: "We will fight for every run, we will fight for every wicket and we will fight for every point." Adams added: "We are perfecting and developing what I believe, and everybody else here in the club believes is a very strong squad - a squad for the future, a squad that has already got a trophy under its belt. The intention was always to build a team which would compete in all competitions, provide space for our young players to come through and provide England with quality players as well. That's what we're starting to do and the future with these young players looks very bright. We now have a thirst for winning trophies."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 15-2. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 13-2 favourites. Friends Life Twenty20: 8-1.

SUSSEX
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won six trophies between 2006 and 2009.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: The Sharks have had more wins than losses in 40-over cricket in each of the last four years. Murray Goodwin has averaged over fifty in seven out of the last nine English summers in first-class cricket.
PROBLEM AREAS: No word, yet, on who will be Sussex's primary overseas player. The attack is crying out for a top-class seamer. If Monty Panesar's re-birth as a Test cricketer develops into a prolonged run in the England side, the Martlets will lack a bowler capable of tying an end up.
KEY PLAYER: Mike Yardy - not only will he need to get the most out of his players, as captain, the 31-year-old left-hander also needs to continue delivering with the bat.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old left-hander, Luke Wells.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 8th; CB40: 2nd in Group C; FLt20: Quarter-finalists.
INS: None.
OUTS: Ollie Rayner (Mid) and Lou Vincent.
OVERSEAS 2012: Scott Styris (NZ, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Monty Panesar and Matt Prior (both on international duty in Sri Lanka) and Luke Wright (IPL).
OTHER NEWS: Sussex have announced a coaching swap for the 2012 season with Mark Davis supporting manager Mark Robinson. Fielding coach Carl Hopkinson will take charge of the Second XI. Robinson said: "We felt that it was important to have a change for the new season as both coaches will benefit from the new responsibilities. One thing we are keen to continue is that all of the professional coaches spend enough time in each other's areas."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 9-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 8-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 10-1.

WARWICKSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won the Clydesdale Bank 40 in 2010.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: In 2011, Warwickshire notched up nine championship victories - the most the Edgbaston outfit have achieved since the introduction of two divisions. The attack includes six bowlers capable of taking over forty first-class wickets.
PROBLEM AREAS: They would have finished two points behind last year's county champions Lancashire had they not been deducted 9 points for slow over-rates. The Bears have been beaten Twenty20 quarter-finalists in six out of the last eight years.
KEY PLAYER: You might expect me to say Rikki Clarke or Chris Woakes, but Jeetan Patel, who returns as overseas player, after taking 17 wickets in three championship appearances last term, could well prove to be the barometer.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old slow left-armer, Chris Metters.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 3rd; CB40: Semi-finalists; FLt20: Quarter-finalists.
INS: Ricardo Gordon, Sam Hain and Chris Wright (Ess).
OUTS: Ant Botha (ret), Maurice Holmes and Naqaash Tahir (Lan).
OVERSEAS 2012: Jeetan Patel (NZ).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott (both on international duty in Sri Lanka) and Chris Woakes (ankle).
OTHER NEWS: Bears' skipper Jim Troughton believes Warwickshire supporters can look forward to their side making bigger totals in 2012. Troughton has said: "The batting line-up has been maybe a little bit immature in the last couple of years because we lost a few big players like Nick Knight and Mark Wagh. But the guys on board now are improving all the time and this season I think they are ready to deliver. The batting unit is growing. We have Varun Chopra, Will Porterfield, Laurie Evans and Ateeq Javid, who have got the potential to really kick on this year, alongside the likes of myself, Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy who have to take on the senior roles and score consistent runs. We have no overseas specialist batsman this season but I don’t see that as a problem. Last year, when our overseas guys didn’t score runs, there were still games where we made big scores to put sides under pressure and they included games on some difficult wickets."
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 6-1. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 14-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 14-1.

WORCESTERSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: Won the NatWest Pro40 League in 2007.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Last summer, Vikram Solanki had his best season in three years with the bat.
PROBLEM AREAS: The batting - just three batsmen hit first-class hundreds in 2011. No side has lost more championship matches over the last three seasons. The New Road outfit are one of only three teams yet to reach Twenty20 finals day. No first-class county has lost more matches in the Clydesdale Bank 40 in the last two seasons than Worcestershire.
KEY PLAYER: Alan Richardson - if Worcestershire are to remain in Division One they will need four victories, which means they'll need to bowl sides out twice. I doubt they can do that without Richardson.
RISING STAR: 22-year-old right-hander, Alexei Kervezee.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div One: 9th; CB40: 6th in Group A; FLt20: 3rd in the Midlands/Wales/West Group.
INS: David Lucas (Nor) and Ben Scott (Mid).
OUTS: Matt Mason (ret), David Wheeldon and Chris Whelan.
OVERSEAS 2012: Michael Klinger (Aus, for the first two months of the season), Phil Hughes (Aus, from June onwards) and Saeed Ajmal (Pak, Twenty20 only).
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: No change.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Gareth Andrew (knee).
OTHER NEWS: Worcestershire's New Road ground could be set for a £10million development after Premier Inn submitted a planning application to build a 120-bedroom hotel and restaurant. Whitbread - Premier Inn's parent company - is investing £7.5million in the hotel and restaurant. In addition, Worcestershire are also investing in excess of £2.5million to create new conference and executive facilities at the ground. A detailed planning application for the hotel and executive suites was submitted to Worcester City Council in December.
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div One: 50-1 outsiders. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 33-1 joint outsiders. Friends Life Twenty20: 33-1 joint outsiders.

YORKSHIRE
JUDGED BY SILVERWARE: The last addition to the trophy cabinet came in 2002, when they won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: Back in Division Two after six summers in the top flight, Yorkshire are now a big fish in a small pond again, so the likes of Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad, both of whom looked off colour last term, should find wickets easier to come by.
PROBLEM AREAS: No side has drawn more championship matches over the last three seasons - an advantage in Division One, but a drawback in Division Two, where they now find themselves. The Carnegie are one of only three teams yet to reach Twenty20 finals day.
KEY PLAYER: Ryan Sidebottom - took 62 championship wickets at 22.00 runs apiece in the absence of Tim Bresnan in 2011.
RISING STAR: 21-year-old right-hander, Joe Root.
MARCUS'S PREDICTION: LVCC Div Two: Winners; CB40: 3rd in Group C; FLt20: 5th in the North Group.
INS: Phil Jaques (as a UK national), Alex Lees and James Wainman.
OUTS: Lee Hodgson, Ben Sanderson, David Wainwright (Der) and Craig White (ret).
OVERSEAS 2012: Still to be announced.
NEW CAPTAIN/COACH: Jason Gillespie replaces Martyn Moxon as first team coach, although Moxon has been made director of cricket.
COULD MISS THE START OF THE SEASON: Tim Bresnan (on international duty in Sri Lanka).
OTHER NEWS: Yorkshire's incoming chairman, the plain-spoken former England opener, Geoff Boycott believes promotion in the County Championship is all that matters in 2012. He said: "In 2013 it’s our 150th anniversary, and in our anniversary year we should be striving to win the Championship. We can’t do that in the Second Division, so we have to get out of it. It’s alright talking about potential and the amount of good young players we have, but those players have to perform." Boycott has also promised to be much in evidence at Headingley this summer. He said: "I don’t just want to be sat in the pavilion in the Hawke Suite. I will also sit with the members because they voted for me, they’ve always supported me and I’m very grateful to them. I know most of the members by sight and they know me. I have a lot of time for them and I am looking forward to seeing as many of them as possible.”
PRE-SEASON ODDS: LV County Championship Div Two: 7-2. Clydesdale Bank 40 League: 22-1. Friends Life Twenty20: 25-1.

HOW ACCURATE WAS MARCUS IN 2011? CLICK HERE

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