Durham's challenge to stay on top

The English county season begins on Wednesday with the opening round of Championship matches before the Friends Provident Trophy starts on Sunday. Twenty20 will again light up the summer and there's also the final year of Pro40 action. Cricinfo takes a look at each team's chances for 2009. Click here for Division Two

Durham

The saying goes that getting to the top is the easy bit, staying there is the hard part. Durham's first Championship title, just 16 years after being given first-class status, was a great story and provided a thrilling finish to last season but now all eyes will be on whether they can repeat the feat. If anything, they are a stronger unit with the signing of Ian Blackwell, and could again have the services of Steve Harmison for a larger chunk than expected. The overseas situation is muddied by the West Indies tour and World Twenty20 but there is depth to the squad.
Crowd puller Ian Blackwell - Plenty to prove after a winter move from Somerset. Aggression is his preferred method.
Keep an eye on Mark Davies - Hardly mentioned for an England call, yet averages 21 in first-class cricket and went on the Lions tour.
Behind the scenes Dale Benkenstein has moved aside as captain, but it was largely a winter of fine-tuning a strong squad.
Bottom line They should challenge on all fronts, and again look like a Championship-winning outfit if not badly hit by international calls.

Hampshire

Last season's surge in form came a little too late to secure a trophy, but it showed what they are capable of. Dimitri Mascarenhas will be missed during his IPL stint, the loss of Michael Brown is a blow to the top order, and it's uncertain how much they'll see of Marcus North after his Australia breakthrough. So they must guard against a slow start that leaves them too much to do later on. A pace attack of Chris Tremlett, James Tomlinson and Dominic Cork should cause problems, but their biggest match-winner will be Imran Tahir, whose early-season injury is a blow. The more they see of him the better.
Crowd puller Dominic Cork - Refuses to slip quietly into retirement; the contests against Lancashire will be worth watching.
Keep an eye on Liam Dawson - Developing into an impressive allrounder, but looks as though the batting is surpassing the left-arm spin.
Behind the scenes More development work to try and ease congestion during big matches.
Bottom line Have a squad capable of pushing hard on all fronts; and Tahir is a late-season Championship trump card.

Lancashire

A late-season push secured their Championship status, but it has been a winter of change at Old Trafford. Stuart Law has departed, Glen Chapple has taken the captaincy reins and Mike Watkinson has moved upstairs. His replacement is none other than Peter Moores, who quickly found employment after his England sacking. He made his name in building a Championship-winning team with Sussex and similar results will be expected in the North West. But silverware hasn't been anywhere near Lancashire for a long time and it will take more than new leadership to change that. The onus will be on Sajid Mahmood to lead the attack, and the overseas duo of Prince and Laxman need to replace Law's runs.
Crowd puller VVS Laxman - Can light up the summer with his strokeplay.
Keep an eye on Steven Croft - A very useful allrounder, who won't be far from a Lions call-up if he goes well.
Behind the scenes Old Trafford will resemble a building site as the major redevelopment work gets underway.
Bottom line Moores needs to bring on the youngsters with a long-term view. Silverware would be a surprise.

Nottinghamshire

They saw two trophies - the Pro40 and, more gallingly, the Championship - slip from their grasp in the final weeks of the season. However, they will be contenders again, with players eager to make up for their late slip. They won't often be at full strength, though, with Graeme Swann set for England duty when he recovers from elbow surgery, Stuart Broad a full-time international, and Ryan Sidebottom laid up after an Achilles operation. But (England's) Darren Pattinson, Charlie Shreck and Andre Adams form a potent pair, while Jason Brown should help cover for Swann.
Crowd puller Samit Patel - Plenty of prove after England omission. Can he hit his fitness targets?
Keep an eye on Bilal Shafayat - Doesn't lack confidence, but consistency still a problem.
Behind the scenes Decided to buy some experience in the two Browns, Alastair and Jason, to add some depth.
Bottom line Home form must improve to sustain a Championship challenge. Squad is capable of one-day success.

Somerset

The top and bottom of the Somerset team are excellent; an opening partnership of Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick plus a new-ball duo of Andy Caddick and Charl Willoughby. It's what's in the middle that is the problem, especially now that Ian Blackwell has left for pastures new. There are a few useful players available, but none jump out as potential match-winners in four-day cricket. The one-day format is different, with the likes of Peter Trego, Craig Kieswetter and Steffan Jones proving more than handy. The Taunton surface does occasionally offer some help in the Championship, but unless Mike Munday, the legspinner, develops beyond expectation, they should look at the one-day route for success.
Crowd puller Marcus Trescothick - The best all-round English opening batsman. Oh, for him in the Twenty20 and Ashes campaigns.
Keep an eye on Mark Turner - Has pace, and if he can stay fit, should take some pressure off Caddick.
Behind the scenes Preparing to host the Women's World Twenty20 in June.
Bottom line Not enough bowling to win the Championship, and batting will miss Blackwell.

Sussex

The Adams era is finished and it leaves glorious memories, but Michael Yardy has a tough act to follow, especially without the services of Mushtaq Ahmed. Ed Joyce's arrival should help make up for the absence of Adams' runs, but his captaincy skills are harder to measure. It's difficult to see who will take the major wicket hauls, and the set-up looks more primed for one-day cricket, with Luke Wright currently out of the England scene. Yasir Arafat will have a heavy workload and Sussex supporters may have to downgrade their ambitions.
Crowd puller Murray Goodwin - A run machine in all formats, it's his one-day finishing skills that really stand apart.
Keep an eye on Tom Smith - His left-arm spin has earned positive reviews and should keep Ollie Rayner on his toes.
Behind the scenes The young spinners should learn plenty from Mushtaq, who will split his time between Sussex and England.
Bottom line The hunt for new match-winners continues, and they could be pulled into a Championship survival fight.

Warwickshire

Ashley Giles and Allan Donald have done well to lift the team back into Division One, but now the hard work starts to try and keep them there. They will need the experienced players to take the lead and can't afford for the senior batsmen to have poor seasons. Jonathan Trott must build on his Lions tour, and the availability of Tim Ambrose is a boost to the middle order. The quick bowling looks light, with a lot on the young shoulders of Chris Woakes, and the loss of Ian Salisbury is a blow. Jeetan Patel can expect a lot of bowling.
Crowd puller Jonathan Trott - Was exposed to England at the wrong time, but has recovered well and earned a Lions tour. Can score in all formats.
Keep an eye on Chris Woakes - Needs to guard against second-season syndrome, but has all the makings of a fine cricketer.
Behind the scenes Major concerns over the development plans, and Edgbaston's Test future is in doubt.
Bottom line Maintaining first-Division status will be the main priority and pressure will be on an inexperienced pace attack.

Worcestershire

Have gone down as soon as they have come up in the past, but they could be the season's interesting story. If, and it's a big if, the attack stays fit, they certainly boast the firepower to bowl teams out, but it won't be easy filling the run-scoring boots of Graeme Hick. Whenever Simon Jones take wickets the England chatter will start; and keep a tally of how many times his dismissal of Michael Clarke in 2005 is mentioned. In Kabir Ali they have a hugely consistent performer, and Ashley Noffke is a solid signing. But then there's the floods - surely not again?
Crowd puller Simon Jones - Seems a lifetime ago that he helped win the Ashes. Now it's just a bonus to see him play at all.
Keep an eye on Moeen Ali - Now is his time, with Hick retired, to bring his talents to maturity.
Behind the scenes Plans afoot to build a new home ground to avoid future flooding problems. Lost main sponsor as credit crunch hit hard.
Bottom line First challenge will be to replace Hick's runs. However, they are a side capable of more than holding their own.

Yorkshire

The Darren Gough comeback has run its course and now it is over to Anthony McGrath to move the team forward. In Martyn Moxon he will work alongside one of best homegrown coaches, and they have a squad that can develop much further. It will be fascinating to see what the young bowlers have learnt from Gough, especially in the one-day game. Matthew Hoggard's availability will boost the four-day team, and if Adil Rashid doesn't stall after a largely inactive winter they can form a balanced attack.
Crowd puller Michael Vaughan - Could have a short or long season with Yorkshire, depending on the England selectors.
Keep an eye on Azeem Rafiq - Now that the young offspinner is properly qualified and registered, Yorkshire seem keen to push him on.
Behind the scenes New outfield and plenty of work on the ground as it prepares to host the fourth Ashes Test.
Bottom line Important they make use of those striving for international recalls to give the season a kickstart. Could make a title push if pitches turn late season.