Giles must negotiate tricky transformation

Last season:
Championship: 8th Div 1; NatWest Blast: Runners-up; Royal London Cup: 8th Group A In: Alviro Petersen (Kolpak), Nathan Buck (Leicestershire), George Edwards (Surrey)

Out: Kyle Hogg (retired), Kabir Ali, Andrea Agathangelou, Oliver Newby (all released)

Overseas: Peter Siddle, James Faulkner

2014 in a nutshell
The highlight last season for Lancashire was an appearance at NatWest Blast finals day with interest fuelled by the dreamlike return to professional cricket of Andrew Flintoff. Fred did not quite pull it off as Lancashire fell in the final to Birmingham Bears, but the sense remained of a Lancashire side playing to maximum efficiency in the shortest format. Nothing so impressive could be said about their Championship form. Lancashire have become county cricket's yo-yo club, promoted or relegated in three successive seasons. They struggled for top-order runs, Ashwell Prince apart, and the retirement mid-season of Kyle Hogg, added to the wind-down of Glen Chapple's career, indicated a county needing a shake-up.

2015 prospects
Promotion in the Championship is Ashley Giles' priority, although it will be far from automatic: Surrey, in particular, look strong, Kent are stirring again, and Derbyshire are optimistic after finishing 2014 on a high. In the NatWest Blast, another Finals day looks a challenging task. Two South Africans, Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince, will ensure runs while an unproven pace bowling departments combines some ambitious second teamers with winter recruits Nathan Buck and the potentially explosive George Edwards. But it is the anticipation of a flood of young players coming through the Academy that most excites Lancashire supporters and which would provide a heartening send-off for Mike Watkinson after the end of a 33-year-association with the county.

Power brokers
Ashley Giles might have had an unfortunate experience as England's one-day coach, but his status in the county game deserves to be incontestable. His sensitive guidance took Warwickshire to a Championship and Lancashire have every chance to assert themselves as one of the leading counties in the country as his influence as head coach begins to bear fruit. Tom Smith, a powerful and combative allrounder, captains Lancashire for the first time, a tough task considering the respect commanded by his predecessor, Chapple.

Key player
In many ways, the key player is the one whose career is winding down. One of Giles' most challenging tasks is to manage the retirement of Glen Chapple, a great champion of Lancashire cricket, who is approaching a farewell season at 41 as he moves increasingly into coaching duties. Do that successfully and much good can follow for Lancashire. It will not be easy with Chapple needing 25 wickets for 1,000 in first-class cricket and a strengthened group of pace bowlers eager for opportunity.

Bright young thing
Haseeb Hameed, a sixth form student at Bolton School, is a potential answer to Lancashire's perennial shortcomings at the top of the order. He is scheduled to return from a tour of Australia with England U19s with the season already underway and with his studies to complete, and a first-team debut still awaited. It might seem early therefore to suggest he will make an impact, but a first-team opportunity at some stage is eagerly anticipated. An Academy product, he plays for Nantwich in the Cheshire Premier League.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
There is a sense of change at Old Trafford. Manchester now has a stadium to be proud of again and Lancashire have further secured their financial future by raising the £12m needed to build a 150-room hotel on site thanks in part to a £4m loan from Trafford Council. The strengthening of links between the county and clubs is slowly bearing fruit and Ashley Giles can be trusted to preserve it. The coaching shake-up following the arrival of Giles as head coach has not pleased everyone - Flintoff, for example, was angry at the removal of one loyal servant, John Stanworth - but the county's aspirations have rarely been higher. Promotion should be the priority.

Bet365 odds: LV= Championship: 3-1; NatWest Blast 10-1; Royal London Cup 16-1

Last season
Championship: 9th Div 1; NatWest Blast: 7th north group; Royal London Cup: 6th group A

IN: Josh Cobb (Leicestershire), Adam Rossington (Middlesex), Richard Levi
OUT: David Sales, Matthew Sprigel (both retired), Andrew Hall, James Middlebrook (both released), James Kettleborough (Glamorgan)
OVERSEAS: Rory Kleinveldt, Shahid Afridi

2014 in a nutshell
Miserable. 2013 was one of the best season's in the club's history with promotion in the Championship and a fairytale T20 title. But they came crashing back down to earth in their first season in Division One since 2004. They copied that year by finishing bottom but this time didn't even win a match and were beaten by an innings in eight matches. The axe was wielded at the end of the season with several senior players leaving the club, including the top two run-scorers in the Championship. Chief executive David Smith also departed in the autumn. There was no respite in the NatWest Blast where they put up a weak defence of their title, winning their first two matches but only two more.

2015 prospects
The club management stated their desire to rebuild with a young, primarily home-grown squad, and there are a few names to offer encouragement. David Willey was mentioned in England terms after a superb 2013 and others like Rob Newton, Olly Stone and Ben Duckett suggest there are a few youngsters coming through at Wantage Road. The signings of Josh Cobb from Leicestershire and Adam Rossington from Middlesex adds two more promising young faces to the squad while South African Richard Levi provides international experience and commitment to Northants after agreeing a Kolpak deal. Alex Wakely will be like a new signing after missing the whole of 2014 with an Achilles injury. Shahid Afridi and Rory Kleinveldt will boost their T20 chances.

Power brokers
Since taking over in the second half of the 2012 season, David Ripley has coached Northants to two memorable seasons for very different reasons but despite last season's stinker, he still a vibrant squad to work with. Included in that is Alex Wakely, a Northants' academy product who now takes up the captaincy across all formats, inheriting the four-day job from Stephen Peters, who remains with the club as a batsman.

Key player
For just a 19-year-old, Ben Duckett was perhaps one of the only Northants players to emerge from 2014 with some credit. He made his maiden Championship century and fives fifties, and got his side home in a superb T20 chase at Headingley, to suggest he had the game to cope with Division One attacks. Back in Division Two, and with Rossington taking his mind off wicketkeeping, Duckett has the chance for a breakthrough season.

Bright young thing
Olly Stone is a highly-regarded fast bowler who took the best figures ever returned by an England Under-19 bowler in a youth Test with 11 for 79 against South Africa two years ago. He has enjoyed a sprinkling of first team action and picked up a maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket in the final match of last season against Sussex. He is just the young home-grown talent Northants want to take the club forward.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
With the squad freshened up, and assuming the horrors of last season have been cast aside, Northamptonshire have a squad talented enough to mount another challenge for promotion. In David Willey, Steven Crook and Azharullah, they still have a core of the attack that took them up in 2013 and if their young batsman can deliver this season, there is every chance that Northants can atone for last year.

Bet365 odds: Championship: 8-1, T20 Blast: 25-1, Royal London Cup: 20-1

Last season
Championship: 3rd Div 2; NatWest Blast: Quarter-finals; Royal London Cup: Quarter-finals

In:
Out: Ben Foakes (Surrey), Sajid Mahmood, Tom Craddock (both released), Tim Phillips (retired), Tymal Mills (Sussex)
Overseas: Jesse Ryder, Shaun Tait (T20)

2014 in a nutshell
It was the usual cocktail of promise, frustration and near misses for regular visitors to Chelmsford. A rousing charge down the final straight, in which Essex won six Championship games out of seven, was not quite enough to secure promotion, although they gained the dubious distinction of having achieved the highest points total without going up since the creation of two divisions. In all competitions, Essex won 22 times, behind only Warwickshire - but two home defeats, both to Warwickshire, in the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast and Royal London Cup left behind a sense of what might have been. Injuries were a problem, leading to chances for several young players, but while Jesse Ryder established himself as a local hero, Tymal Mills faded from England prospect to ex-Essex boy.

2015 prospects
The squad again looks strong, though Mills and Ben Foakes are the latest young talents to move on and Essex will have to cope with the absence of Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate at the IPL for the first six weeks of the season. Ryder is due to return and Essex will hope his seam-bowling remains as effective - he was their leading Championship wicket-taker in 2014 - while Shaun Tait will provide a more explosive option in T20. Should Graham Napier, David Masters and Reece Topley avoid the problems that limited their 2014 involvement then promotion ought to be within their compass; coach Paul Grayson would dearly love a trophy to prove that there is substance to back up the perennial hype at Essex.

Power brokers
After seven years in charge, Grayson's authority is only occasionally questioned around New Writtle Street - he seems to have weathered a stormy period that whipped up at the start of 2013 - but Essex's habit of falling just short is troubling. Grayson has two captains to work with in trying to land a prize or two this year: the evergreen James Foster in Championship cricket, where he led the run-scoring once again; and Ryan ten Doeschate in the T20 and 50-over competitions.

Key player
Ryder may never play for New Zealand again - another comeback with the A side was aborted last year - but Essex fans will be the richer. After settling in quickly, he signed a two-year contract at the end of 2014, news that was greeted by rapturous applause at an autumnal ECG. His powerful strokeplay can win matches in all formats; he only averaged 37.05 in the Championship, so there should be more to come. Also proved an unexpectedly wily seamer capable of taking the new ball.

Bright young thing
Nick Browne broke into the first XI during the second half of last season and, against Derbyshire at Chesterfield, became the first Essex batsman to hit unbeaten hundreds in both innings of a Championship match. A tall left-hander with a physique and stance reminiscent of Marcus Trescothick - if not the range of attacking strokes - Browne's tally of three centuries, from nine matches, was more than any of his team-mates. Could be the sort of remorseless run-getting opener Essex have lacked since Alastair Cook graduated to bigger things.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
As ever, Essex ought to be in the mix for Championship promotion, should be one of the strongest T20 sides around and could be a good bet for the 50-over cup as well. Youth will be given its head but cynics will start wondering which club cap it will be wearing a year or two down the line. It's time to break the cycle. No batsman has passed 1000 first-class runs in a season since 2009 but, if that statistic is erased, they have the bowling to prosper.

Bet365 odds:
LV= Championship 7-2, NatWest Blast 12-1, Royal London Cup 12-1

Last season
Championship: 4th Div 2; NatWest Blast: 9th North Group; Royal London Cup: Quarter-finals

In: Shiv Thakor (Leicestershire), Wayne White (Lancashire).

Out: Tim Groenewald (Somerset), Stephen Moore, Richard Johnson (both retired), Gareth Cross, Peter Burgoyne, Paul Borrington, Mark Turner, Matt Higginbottom (all released)

Overseas: Martin Guptill (T20), Tillakaratne Dilshan (T20), Nathan Rimmington (T20)

2014 in a nutshell
The car accident that injured wicketkeeper Tom Poynton and tragically killed his father, Keith, overshadowed the first weeks of the season. Poynton's injuries meant he did not play a game - instead he worked in the club's commercial department - and the squad underwent a number of changes during Graeme Welch's first campaign in charge. Tim Groenewald and Stephen Moore were moved on - to Somerset and retirement respectively - as Welch focused on rebuilding in the wake of Championship relegation in 2013. They finished the season in good shape, winning five out of six to suggest the team was going in the right direction. There was also a quarter-final appearance in the Royal London Cup, though Derbyshire's T20 form was dismal, with just one win.

2015 prospects
A tight, well-drilled side, Derbyshire have developed a reputation for maximising their resources. Last year, they had the most penetrative bowler in the country - Mark Footitt's's 82 Championship wickets winning him a spot on the England Performance Programme - but took some time to find a settled side, using 24 different players. Wayne Madsen, the captain, will again be the key batsman - he recently qualified to represent England and has said he is looking to get on the selectors' radar. Welch has opted to promote youth and Derbyshire will need greater contributions from their senior players if they are to sustain a promotion challenge but the signings of Martin Guptill and Tillakaratne Dilshan, as well as Shiv Thakor and Wayne White, should provide valuable extra quality.

Power brokers
Taking over from Karl Krikken meant Welch immediately had high standards to live up to and, after some initial struggles, his approach seems to be working. A focus over the winter has been on improving fitness levels, while talk of working on "some new shots for the batsmen and some new deliveries for the bowlers" is intriguing, perhaps aimed at improving limited-overs fortunes. Madsen has become a lynchpin with the bat, allied with a calm and measured approach to the captaincy.

Key player
Footitt's pace and left-arm action have long generated admiring glances but, at the age of 29, he finally found the consistency to go with them. Able to swing the ball back in to right-handers as well as hit the seam, Footitt is at the quicker end of the spectrum, if not quite a match for Mitchell Johnson. Of his 198 first-class wickets, almost half came in 2014, at an average of 19.19; he was also a key part of Derbyshire's run to the last eight of the Royal London Cup.

Bright young thing
Wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein was playing for Derbyshire 2nd XI at the age of 13 and last season he made a record-breaking start to life in the senior side. A month after his 18th birthday, he collected seven catches in an innings against Surrey - no one has ever taken more on their first-class debut - then added four more in the second innings, the first time a Derbyshire keeper had collected 11 in a match. That feat meant he surpassed the great Bob Taylor but he will have to battle Poynton for a starting spot.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
The template for Derbyshire will be their own promotion campaign of 2012, when a committed squad effort carried them to an unexpected title. If Guptill helps get them off to a good start, as he did three years ago, Wes Durston and David Wainwright rediscover some form, and young players such as Ben Slater, Alex Hughes and Ben Cotton continue their development, they should find themselves in contention. Hard to see how they can't improve on their T20 showing, too. Ground improvements at Derby all help give the impression of a county in good hands and valued in the region.

Bet365 odds: LV= Championship: 13-2; NatWest Blast 28-1; Royal London Cup 20-1

Last season
Championship: 5th Div 2; NatWest Blast: Semi-finals; Royal London Cup: 9th Group B

IN: Ben Foakes (Essex), David Balcombe (Hampshire), James Burke (Somerset)
OUT: Tom Jewell, Jack Winslade (both released), George Edwards (Lancashire)
Overseas: Kumar Sangakkara, Moises Henriques

2014 in a nutshell
For a side as well resourced as Surrey to be languishing in the second division of the Championship is automatically unsatisfactory, but Graham Ford, their South African coach, has reasonable grounds to talk of "progress" even though 2014 ended with promotion not secured. Surrey began the season badly but some talented young players were beginning to take the lead by September. Remove a miraculous bout of tail-end hitting by Jack Shantry and rain at a critical time against the bottom club Leicestershire and things could have turned out differently. Friday nights at The Oval for the NatWest Blast showed county cricket at its most attractive and, in Jason Roy, Surrey had the star of the season. They reached finals day but went out in the semis.

2015 prospects
Not since Geoffrey Boycott's troubled period at Yorkshire, 30 years and more ago, has the fate of one man dominated the narrative of a county season. What are Surrey to make of Kevin Pietersen's return to Championship cricket? Alec Stewart, a stickler for discipline, speaks highly of him, and his relationship with the coach, Ford, has always been a trusting one. Pietersen's personal ambitions to represent England in an Ashes series can help give Surrey a flying start, but what if it all goes wrong? Will his interest hold or will his dejection become disruptive? Surrey have other exciting young players who deserve recognition, but it won't happen, not for a while yet, and they need to accept the inevitable and get on with it.

Power brokers
"A very honest man, a fine character and a good leader." Such was the assessment from Alec Stewart, Surrey's director of cricket, when asking Gareth Batty to put his shoulder to the captaincy wheel once more. The Graeme Smith era that Surrey had pinned their hopes on had been trashed by injury and, less than three years after guiding Surrey through a traumatic period following the death of Tom Maynard, Batty was reappointed to work alongside Ford. An unsung professional with many fine attributes, nobody would deserve promotion more.

Key player
Calls for Roy to be the gamble in England's World Cup squad were predictably ignored but, in 2014, he made the leap from a prodigiously talented but erratic young cricketer to a consistent match-winner. The transformation was particularly evident in the NatWest T20 Blast, where he struck 677 runs at 48.35 apiece - the highest tally in the competition. With his swagger, breathtaking power down the ground and penchant for switch-hitting - not to mention the fact he was born in South Africa - he was frequently compared to Kevin Pietersen, not least by Pietersen himself. By the summer's end, he was rewarded with a T20 international debut against India. His vastly improved Championship form - he averaged 52.10 at a strike rate of 84.78 - passed almost unnoticed but it was further proof of his exciting advance.

Bright young thing
"Bright" is perhaps not the most obvious word to describe Zafar Ansari's batting in its most defiant mood: in 2014, he topped 1000 first-class runs at a distinctly un-21st century strike rate of 36.02, but there was no denying he got the job done. His left-arm spin is another attribute and he fields well. Ansari's resourcefulness, at 23, has led some to hail him as a future Surrey captain.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Division Two of the Championship should be fascinating this year - and not just because of the presence of KP. Two big guns in Surrey and Lancashire could face strong challenges from Essex, Derbyshire and a Kent side showing signs of life. English cricket is better for a strong Surrey - even more so now they can put on a great T20 show - and if the old timers in the pace attack can stir themselves to support some talented youngsters, promotion is within their grasp.

Bet365 odds: Championship: 3-1; NatWest Blast: 7-1; Royal London Cup: 8-1

Last season
Championship: 6th Div 2; NatWest Blast: 7th South Group; Royal London Cup: Semi-finals

In: Joe Denly (Middlesex), Matt Coles (Hampshire)
Out: Geraint Jones (Gloucestershire), Mark Davies (retired)
Overseas: None

2014 in a nutshell
Kent's coach, Jimmy Adams, spoke early in the season about the "stigma" attached to being a Division Two side but his team rarely looked capable of shedding their second-tier status during another underwhelming Championship campaign. Three consecutive wins in the middle of summer was as good as it got, while they also failed to get beyond the group stage of the T20 Blast. But there was a shaft of dazzling light in their run to the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup, provided by several blistering performances from wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who finished fourth on the run-scorers' list and with a futuristic strike rate of 154.20. Adam Riley's emergence was another positive, while Daniel Bell-Drummond topped 1000 first-class runs for the first time.

2015 prospects
All that did not prevent Kent from continuing to shore up their finances, with a £658,000 profit hinting at renewed vitality in the southeast. There is a promising crop of young players, including Billings, Riley, Bell-Drummond and Fabian Cowdrey - grandson of Colin - coming through at Canterbury, supplementing the old guard of Rob Key, Brendon Nash and Darren Stevens. Such is the confidence at the club that indications are they will not sign an overseas player this year - even if that could be construed as putting the balance sheet above the possibility of greater success. The return of two former favourites in Joe Denly (from Middlesex) and Matt Coles (Hampshire) should provide greater strength in depth, however, and encourage hopes of a revival.

Power brokers
Adams is about to begin his fourth season in charge at Kent; he signed a new contract towards the end of 2014. Having guided the team to a third-place finish in 2012, the last two seasons have seen limited progress but Adams has spoken of the "positive energy floating around" and the possibility of winning trophies. Key will continue in his second spell as captain and he remains a forceful personality at the club, even if he struggled for consistent form with the bat last year.

Key player
Billings' profile had risen steadily over the last couple of years, as he dislodged the long-serving Geraint Jones behind the stumps and then set about cutting a dash with the bat. It then rocketed like a six off his bat after scoring 135 off 58 balls against Somerset in the Royal London Cup, leading to immediate comparisons with Jos Buttler, England's ramp-happy wicketkeeper-batsman. If anything, Billings, with his blonde quiff and scampish grin, appears an even more cartoon-like talent and a summer of consistent scoring could make him the official understudy.

Bright young thing
In his first full season, Riley usurped James Tredwell, England's ODI offspinner and former Kent captain, as first-choice slow man in Championship cricket - to the extent that Tredwell had to move up a division, on loan to Sussex, to get a game. Tall with a stately, high action, Riley won a place on England's Performance Programme trip to Sri Lanka over the winter and has already picked up his first wickets of 2015 after a decent showing for the MCC in the Champion County match in Abu Dhabi.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Too long have Kent slumbered, content to tread water in Division Two and make an occasional cup run; the likes of Billings and Coles - eager to prove himself again - could provide the energy to help shakes things up. There is plenty of ability at Key's disposal, as well as an experienced core. Beyond the front-line attack, the bowling looks a touch light but Adams should be aiming for top four in the Championship to prove Kent are going in the right direction.

Bet365 odds: LV= Championship 9-1, NatWest Blast 20-1, Royal London Cup 20-1

Last season
Championship: 7th Div 2; NatWest Blast: 8th South group; Royal London Cup: quarter-final

IN: Geraint Jones (Kent), Tom Hampton, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Peter Handscomb
Outs: Will Gidman (Nottinghamshire), Alex Gidman (Worcestershire), Graeme McCarter, Dan Housego Tom Shrewsbury (all released)
OVERSEAS: Michael Klinger

2014 in a nutshell
It was another season of little cheer and saw John Bracewell's second stint as director of cricket come to an end. They say never go back and while a disappointing second period will not tarnish Bracewell's legacy in Bristol, the glittering edge of those trophy-laden years has been slightly chipped. Supporters dreamed of rolling back the years when the county qualified for the quarter-final of the Royal London Cup, only to lose a poor game at Kent. Twenty20 has been poor for some time but Gloucestershire won only one fewer match than Glamorgan who went through, which represented progress. Will Tavaré was a good find in the Championship - a campaign propped up by a final round victory at Kent - and Alex Gidman enjoyed a second consecutive outstanding season, only to announce his departure for Worcestershire after 14 years at the club.

2015 prospects
As Oscar Wilde implied: to lose one Gidman is unlucky, to lose two is careless. Will Gidman has been one of the leading allrounders in the country since joining Gloucestershire in 2011. His wickets may be compensated for by a number of bowlers who were blighted by injury last season - James Fuller, Liam Norwell and Craig Miles - all of whom have shown potential, particularly Miles, and if fully fit this term will provide more options. Finding a batsman to replicate the four-figure returns Alex Gidman has produced in the last two years looks the tougher task. It will be another season of getting the best out of a young squad but a new regime under Richard Dawson should bring fresh energy.

Power brokers
There is a new team in charge with the highly-regarded Richard Dawson, who previously served as Gloucestershire spin and one-day coach before spending last season with Yorkshire, installed as head coach and Ian Harvey, immensely popular during his time as overseas player in Bristol, appointed assistant. The captaincy situation is rather vague with Michael Klinger - skipper of the past two seasons - not arriving until June. Geraint Jones will captain the four-day side to begin with but no announcement has been made on the one-day captain. Ian Cockbain had led the side in pre-season.

Key player
Geraint Jones has signed purely as a batsman and will also be the four-day captain, at least until Michael Klinger arrives. You don't have to look back too far to see Jones making 1000 first-class runs in a season and his obvious pedigree as a former Test player suggests he still has plenty to offer. With the departure of two senior players, Gloucestershire need Jones to perform if they are to improve on the showings in the Championship of the past few seasons.

Bright young thing
Craig Miles made his debut as an exceptionally slight 16-year-old back in 2011 but returned two years ago looking far more suited to bowling in the Championship and took an impressive 43 wickets to earn a place on the England Potential Performance Programme. A back injury took out most of last season but back fit he picked up 18 wickets at 19.88 in just four Championship matches. Still just 20, he could well be required to lead the Gloucestershire attack this season. Gareth Roderick, at 23, is also a very promising wicketkeeper-batsman.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
Losing two outstanding performers of the past two seasons makes it difficult to predict anything more than a mid-table placing in the Championship. Gloucestershire have a somewhat unexposed set of young seamers that could recompense for the loss of Will Gidman but finding enough runs is a bigger conundrum. Bettering last season's return could hinge on the form of second overseas signing Peter Handscomb before Klinger arrives in June. Their hopes in one-day cricket best lie in the 50-over format.

Bet365 odds
LV= Championship Div 2: 22-1, NatWest T20 Blast: 28-1, Royal London Cup: 25-1

Last season
Championship: 8th Div 2; NatWest T20 Blast: Quarter-finals; Royal London Cup: Group B 5th

In: James Kettleborough (Northamptonshire), Craig Meschede (Somerset, loan), Colin Ingram (South Africa, Kolpak)
Out: John Glover, Murray Goodwin, Gareth Rees (all retired), Mike Reed, Stewart Walters, Tom Lancefield (all released), Jim Allenby (Somerset)
Overseas: Jacques Rudolph

2014 in a nutshell
Almost identical to 2013 with a decent show in the one-day competitions but a mediocre return in the Championship. The season began in a blaze of glory with a 10-wicket thumping of Surrey at The Oval but the runs that Murray Goodwin and Jim Allenby provided the previous summer didn't return and they only won two further matches, despite having four bowlers take 40 wickets. Glamorgan's T20 campaign also saw a fine victory at The Oval and they were well on course to reach a first Finals Day since 2004 against Lancashire in the quarter-final before losing three wickets in an over and falling a run short of their target. They were a point short of qualifying for the Royal London Cup knockout stage, despite winning the same number of matches as all four sides above them in the table.

2015 prospects
Jim Allenby is a huge loss to the club. He has been a consistent performer across all formats since arriving in 2009. Colin Ingram is his replacement on the wage bill but does not bowl and Allenby's steady seamers will especially be missed in one-day cricket where he was Glamorgan's most economical bowler in both competitions last season. It is therefore difficult to make a case for Glamorgan going any further in one-day cricket this year. In the Championship, runs are the biggest concern. Only Allenby topped 900 runs last season and it is imperative Jacques Rudolph comes up with a big season to ensure Glamorgan put enough weight on the scoreboard to be competitive; much rests on Colin Ingram too. Can Craig Meschede provide the 52 Championship wickets Allenby took last season? Depth in the bowling is a concern. Spin options are young.

Power brokers
Given the identical nature of Glamorgan's previous two seasons, it could be concluded that Toby Radford made little impact in his first season as head coach. It is a difficult task with a young squad at a club saddled by large debt. But Radford does have a few experienced players to work with and this season Jacques Rudolph, the former South African international, will captain the side in all formats, relieving Mark Wallace in four-day cricket.

Key player
Michael Hogan has been one of the best overseas signing in recent years. He has led the bowling attack in some style with a stack of wickets in all formats - 98 in total last season. His efforts have sometimes propped Glamorgan up and sometimes made them a threat. With Jim Allenby's departure, Hogan is more important than ever this season but is set to miss the first round of matches with a hamstring injury that the club will desperately hope is not too serious. They could be in the market for a loan signing if the prognosis is not good.

Bright young thing
Craig Meschede, on loan to Glamorgan from Somerset, has made a promising start to his career at Taunton and, over the Severn Bridge for 2015, will hope to play a full part in the season and make progress. His brisk seamers made an impression for Somerset in 2013, with 26 first-class wickets at 28.38 and 22 at 21.72 in the 40-over competition, and should be a valuable asset for Glamorgan who have gaps to fill in their attack.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
It is very difficult to predict improvement on the last two showings given that the player central to those campaigns has now left the club. Big seasons from Rudolph and Ingram will be needed to ensure Glamorgan remain competitive but they could be fighting off a wooden spoon. The one-day competitions present their best chance of some success but they start the Royal London Cup with a two-point deduction for a poor pitch last season.

Bet365 odds:
LV= Championship Div 2: 14-1, NatWest Blast: 25-1, Royal London Cup: 33-1

Last season
Championship: 9th Div 2; NatWest Blast: 8th North Group; Royal London Cup: 5th Group A

IN: Mark Cosgrove, Kevin O'Brien
OUT: Shiv Thakor (Derbyshire), Nathan Buck (Lancashire), Josh Cobb (Northants), Greg Smith (Nottinghamshire), Anthony Ireland, Michael Thornely (both released)
OVERSEAS: Clint McKay, Grant Elliot

2014 in a nutshell
Expectations were low and Leicestershire lived down to them. They became the first side since the 1930s to go consecutive seasons without a Championship win, and there was precious little encouragement in limited-overs cricket either. Things could have been different had they managed a victory early on but they drew their first three matches, despite being in charge of each. There was talent to be found at Grace Road but it was likely to be poached - four of Leicestershire's best players, in Nathan Buck, Josh Cobb, Greg Smith and Shiv Thakor, secured themselves contracts elsewhere rather than stick around. All this provided a clear mandate for change, with chief executive, Mike Siddall, and director of cricket, Phil Witticase, both moving on.

2015 prospects
Arguably, it would be hard for them to be worse but, even so, there seems room for cautious optimism at the county, where Wasim Khan, the driving force behind Chance to Shine, has taken charge. Khan has already set the squad the target of achieving promotion - unlikely, perhaps, but his argument that "if we talk about finishing mid-table, we'll finish second-bottom" is at least a positive one. Former Australia international Andrew McDonald, who helped Leicestershire to their most recent success in the 2011 Friends Life t20, has been appointed as head coach, while the recruitment of Mark Cosgrove and Clint McKay adds experience, as well as further Australian grit. They need to make vast improvements but, as Khan says, "everybody starts on zero points in April".

Power brokers
McDonald has never coached before - he was still playing during the Australian domestic season - but the 33-year-old is considered a shrewd thinker and was targeted as a replacement for Whitticase. He will join forces with Cosgrove, a team-mate at South Australia and Sydney Thunder, who takes up the captaincy in all three formats following the departures of Cobb and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Cosgrove has a British passport and knows the county circuit well from several seasons of heavy run-scoring with Glamorgan.

Key player
Cosgrove's belligerence and McKay's nous will be important, while newly appointed vice-captain Ned Eckersley might be expected to produce big runs after a disappointing 2014. But in the engine room, will be Niall O'Brien. The wicketkeeper ended up captaining the side last season and still only fell narrowly short of passing 1000 first-class runs for the first time in his career. Showed his class for Ireland at the World Cup and should be a vital cog in all formats for a developing Leicestershire side.

Bright young thing
Angus Robson, younger brother of Sam, is only 23 but last season he was Leicestershire highest Championship run-scorer with 1086. A few months younger is James Sykes, a tall slow left-armer with a crop of fiery red hair who also had an impressive 2014 - albeit for Leicestershire's 2nd XI. Sykes was integral to Leicestershire seconds winning a remarkable treble, finishing as their leading wicket-taker across the formats. Alongside former England U-19 offspinner Rob Sayer, he will provide competition for Jigar Naik.

ESPNcricinfo verdict
There seems to be a welcome verve about the new regime and Leicestershire might just be ready to silence some of the background chirruping about their status as a first-class county. The opening of a new cricket facility in the Leicester is proof of their commitment to bringing through talent and Khan has pledged to improve relations with the Asian community. If the Australian contingent can help improve results on the pitch, 2015 might be seen as a watershed year in the east Midlands.

Bet365 odds: LV= Championship 50-1, NatWest Blast 33-1, Royal London Cup 40-1