Burden falls on Blackwell

Championship Division 2 Nat League Division 2 Captain Ian Blackwell Coach Mark Garaway Overseas Players Dan Cullen Cameron White In Charl Willoughby Peter Trego Out Michael Burns (retired) Rob Turner (retired)

Revolving door
Enter two Australian spinners Cameron White and Dan Cullen and some-time South Africa seamer Charl Willoughby (under the Kolpak ruling). Andy Hurry, a former marines fitness instructor who left a job with the 2nd XI last year to help the UAE, returns as first-team coach in place of Mark Garaway. Homesick Peter Trego also returns, refreshed by his Lord's rebirth.

Winter wonderland
Staging a team get-together before the pre-season trip to South Africa proved irksome: every room at the County Ground was booked. The cosy confines of the dressing room had to suffice.

Strengths
Youth, a popular exemplar of a captain in Ian Blackwell, half a season's experience under the leadership of Graeme Smith and, just for a change, spin.

Weaknesses
Inexperienced batting; ageing quicks; runway-flat track.

Best-case scenario
Championship promotion as Andy Caddick claims the 98 firstclass wickets he needs to become the eighth to 800 for the county - and the first in more than four decades; Richard Johnson has a collectively beneficial benefit year; Blackwell confounds critics of his bowling and carries on thumping; James Hildreth maintains his starbound trajectory; and White and Cullen thrive.

Worst-case scenario
The spinners are smashed all over Taunton, Johnson finds another disobedient part of his anatomy and `Caddy' decides he really does prefer flying helicopters.

Young one to watch
Arul Suppiah.

Key man
Ian Blackwell.

What they say
"I'm quietly excited by our overseas players," says the director of cricket Brian Rose. "We've struggled to bowl sides out because of limited variety but we're moving on. Cameron is an exciting batsman who bowls his leg-spin quite quickly, which might suit Taunton. For Victoria to make him captain at 22 is astonishing and the fact that he's captained Warne means he must be a strong character. Cullen, who is 21 and bowls off-spin, is highly rated by everyone we've spoken to: I missed seeing him because my mother died the day I was meant to fly out to Adelaide. When [leg-spinner] Michael Munday finishes university - next year, I believe - we really will be spoiled."

Mark Wagh
Overseas players have played a large role in Somerset cricket over the last few years but, with lower-profile signings this year, the English talent will have to come to the fore. The seam bowling will rely heavily on Caddick, and Blackwell, with the talented Matthew Wood, will shoulder the batting responsibility. The inexperienced squad may find the coming season challenging.

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