Here's all you need to know ahead of the 2017 season...
Tuesday 4 April 2017 10:58, UK
The new county cricket season is mere days from starting, with Specsavers County Championship getting underway on Friday.
We'll breakdown the Division One runners and riders on Tuesday, but first we're taking a closer look at Division Two.
Who will win promotion? Will Kent finally rejoin the ranks of the top flight? Will Nottinghamshire bounce straight back up after relegation? Or could Durham do the impossible despite their massive points deduction? Here's how we see the season unfolding...
2016: Second
2017 prediction: Champions
Sky Bet odds: 5/1
Chances in a tweet: Missed promotion on two technicalities in 2016, but will recover with a title-winning campaign this time round.
What's new? Those two technicalities were the fact that only one promotion place, instead of the usual two, was available from the second division last year. Then, with Durham's enforced relegation seemingly offering them hope of a top flight return, Kent were again overlooked, with Hampshire allowed to retain their top-flight status despite being 'relegated'. The squad that excelled last year is still intact, while the addition of two-time Championship-winning coach, Jason Gillespie, as an assistant to new man in charge, Matt Walker, certainly helps their cause. Gillespie fills the role initially while permanent appointee Allan Donald works towards the coaching badges required for his visa.
Wicket-taker: Matt Coles. His ability has never been in doubt, though his character and fitness have occasionally been. If both hold for the duration of the 2017 season, he'll ease the wicket-taking burden currently placed on veteran pair, Mitchell Claydon and Darren Stevens.
Century-maker: Sam Northeast. Appointed club captain last year, succeeding Rob Key, the extra responsibility did wonders for his game - the evidence coming in 1,337 runs at a stratospheric average of 83.56.
Young player to watch: Zak Crawley (right-handed batsman). Still yet to make his first-class debut, but much is expected from the promising 19-year-old batsman.
2016: Third
2017 prediction: Second
Sky Bet odds: 8/1
Chances in a tweet: An immensely talented youthful squad looking to improve one place on their 2016 showing and fight for promotion.
What's new? Worcestershire were a bit of a surprise package in 2016. While many had identified the undoubted talent in their ranks, it was felt it would perhaps be a few more years until they started delivering on it. Not so, Worcestershire tallied the joint-most wins in the division with promoted Essex last year, while they also did well with the white ball, reaching the quarter-finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup. Veteran Australian allrounder John Hastings joins their ranks, adding some useful experience.
Wicket-taker: Joe Leach. The Worcestershire captain was leading wicket-taker in Division Two in 2016 with 65 strikes and will be hoping for a similar return this season to inspire a promotion push.
Century-maker: Joe Clarke. Arguably the most talented batsman in the division. England Lions made him the first teenage debutant since Joe Root at the back-end of the 2015 season. A further 1,206 runs last year at an average of 48.24 - with four fifties and five hundreds - have only further enhanced the now 20-year-old's reputation.
Young player to watch: Tom Kohler-Cadmore (right-handed batsman). Take your pick really. At 22, Kohler-Cadmore can perhaps only just claim to sneak into the 'young' category, but his 2016 suggest he is just about to peak, the best example being his staggering 127 from 54 balls against Durham in the Blast - a Worcestershire record.
2016: Ninth Division One, relegated
2017 prediction: Third
Sky Bet odds: 13/8
Chances in a tweet: Promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking will prove a little out of reach of Notts' no doubt talented team.
What's new? Nottinghamshire's fall from grace in 2016 was quite dramatic. They won only one game (their first) all season, with much of the blame laying at the batsman's door - Steven Mullaney the only one to eek over the 1,000-run mark. Bowling-wise, Jake Ball impressed enough to earn England recognition, but with him now set to join Stuart Broad more regularly as an international absentee, and the county denied the services of overseas signing Peter Siddle for a second-straight season to injury, an immediate return to the top-flight isn't guaranteed, even if it would provide the retiring-at-the-end-of-the-season Chris Read with the perfect send-off.
Wicket-taker: James Pattinson. Denied the talents of Siddle once again, Notts will be leaning heavily on his equally injury-troubled Australian team-mate to lead their attack.
Century-maker: Samit Patel. Undeniably talented, the mercurial allrounder is just the type to truly cash in against second division opposition.
Young player to watch: Billy Root (left-handed batsman). Though at 24 he is another that might not exactly still fit in the 'young' bracket, he is at least undoubtedly the 'younger' of the Root's. Joe's brother has sufficiently impressed after time with the second XI to earn a permanent deal, and if the senior batsman underperform again, he'll get his chance.
2016: Fourth
2017 prediction: Fourth
Sky Bet odds: 7/2
Chances in a tweet: A squad that seems to look better geared to 50 and 20-over success right now rather than a sustained promotion push.
What's new? Sussex are somewhat of a mystery heading into the 2017 season. Despite undoubtedly possessing one of the division's more talented squads - the likes of Ross Taylor, Chris Nash, Luke Wright, Chris Jordan and Steve Magoffin to name a few - it didn't regularly translate into results last year, with a joint league-high 10 draws the problem. If they can translate a few more of those into wins this summer, they'll be in the mix for promotion.
Wicket-taker: Steve Magoffin. Despite a talented seamer stable of Jordan, Ajmal Shahzad, David Wiese, plus promising youngsters Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer and George Garton, there can still be no looking beyond the new-ball model of consistency that is Magoffin, who pitched in with a further 62 wickets in 2016.
Century-maker: Luke Wright. 2016 was a down year for the club captain, restricted to only six appearances and 213 runs, but Sussex are still heavily reliant on his middle-order contributions and they will be desperate to see him return to the century-scoring form of the prior few seasons.
Young player to watch: George Garton (left-arm seamer). A much sought after commodity in any bowling attack, the left-armer caught England's eye after only four months of his debut campaign in 2016, securing a Lions call-up after his 11 wickets across his first five first-class games - the first of which came with his very first delivery bowled.
2016: Fifth
2017 prediction: Fifth
Sky Bet odds: 14/1
Chances in a tweet: While it's white-ball success that has been more forthcoming, Northants continue to harness an underdog spirit to great success.
What's new? Not much. One of the counties with the least resources and one of the smallest squads stays that way, though given their successes in 2016 that's not exactly a problem. The T20 specialists won a second Blast title in three years, but also overachieved in the Championship, earning a mid-table finish, not the wooden spoon as many - myself included - predicted. Ben Duckett's runs were a major reason, while the bowling has been made stronger with the addition of the admittedly injury-prone Lancashire quick, Nathan Buck. Their own promising speedster, Olly Stone departs though, joining Warwickshire, having himself been confined to the physio's room last year. In other news, former Nottinghamshire and England batsman James Taylor joins the coaching staff for the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Wicket-taker: Graeme White. His best has mainly come with the white ball, but given the success of fellow left-arm-spinner Jack Leach over at Somerset, Northants would be wise to use White more than the five matches he was restricted to in 2016, where he returned an impressive 13 wickets at 21.61.
Century-maker: Ben Duckett. You can't look beyond Duckett, even if his England experiences this winter could see him return to the county season a shell of his former self. It's possible, though it's equally plausible that the diminutive left-hander scores runs by the bucket load like he did in 2016 to earn that international recognition.
Young player to watch: Saif Zaib (allrounder). The 18-year-old is highly thought of in Northants cricles - a left-arm-spinner in the Monty Panesar mold but with a touch more batting ability.
2016: Eighth
2017 prediction: Sixth
Sky Bet odds: 20/1
Chances in a tweet: An ageing squad, albeit with undoubted quality, should have more than enough to survive but a title-tilt seems unlikely. Top half.
What's new? 2016 was truly a major disappointment as Glamorgan finished only one place off bottom, but some flashes of brilliance from their young talent towards the end of the campaign gives cause for optimism approaching this season. Now 20-year-old Aneurin Donald's maiden Championship hundred was a double - the fastest in first-class cricket, in fact - as he tonked a staggering 15 sixes in his 234 off 136 balls against Derbyshire, while Kiran Carlson became the youngest Glamorgan century-maker, at 18 years 119 days, when he reached three figures against Essex. A return to form for their talismanic South African skipper wouldn't go a miss though, Jacques Rudolph managed a paltry three fifties across 29 innings in 2016, averaging just 24.40.
Wicket-taker: Michael Hogan. The 35-year-old veteran seamer is still a consistent performer in second division cricket, taking 49 wickets at 26.26 in 2016.
Century-maker: Aneurin Donald. Can he do it again this summer? Sure a similar double century to that Derbyshire effort might be a little too much to ask, but over in Cardiff they'll be desperate for Donald to prove he is not just a one-season wonder.
Young player to watch: Lukas Carey (right-arm seamer). Head coach Robert Croft found the promising 19-year-old at his local club, Pontarddulais, and expectations have been raised after a four-wicket debut against Northants last August.
2016: Sixth
2017 prediction: Seventh
Sky Bet odds: 14/1
Chances in a tweet: The loss of key veteran contributors means that Gloucestershire are likely to go backwards before going forwards.
What's new? Who will score the runs? That's the question concerning Gloucestershire fans going into the season, as the prolific Michael Klinger will play only limited-overs formats in 2017, and club veteran Hamish Marshall retired from county cricket at the end of last year. Chris Dent stepped up in 2016 with 1,243 at a healthy 47.80 average but he can't do it all on his own, so there will be pressure on Australian overseas signing Cameron Bancroft to deliver. The bowling must be much more potent too, with only Liam Norwell (29.92) sneaking an average below the 30 mark.
Wicket-taker: David Payne. Though many are still waiting for the long-term left-arm prospect to truly deliver on the talent he showed glimpses of in his initial 2011 and 2012 season, after years of injury-troubled campaigns since, a 43-wicket return in 2016 can be seen as progress.
Century-maker: Chris Dent. Gloucestershire's leading run-scorer last year. It's crucial he once again leads the way with willow in hand due to that loss of Klinger and Marshall.
Young player to watch: Matt Taylor (left-arm seamer). A powerful left-arm quick who spent time with England's Pace Programme in South Africa this winter.
2016: Ninth
2017 prediction: Eighth
Sky Bet odds: 28/1
Chances in a tweet: Things can only get - and look likely to get - better for Derbyshire after a disastrous last-placed finish in 2016.
What's new? Derbyshire's dreadful season came at a cost, with the mid-season departure of head coach Graeme Welch, and although John Sadler stabilised affairs reasonably well, he also departed before the year was out. Kim Barnett takes over the reins, and with him he brings an influx of handy overseas talent, with Sri Lanka's Jeevan Mendis an early-season overseas signing, while Imran Tahir and Hardus Viljoen arrive from South Africa - the latter on a three-year Kolpak deal - to strengthen the bowling. Talking of bowling, a certain Michael Holding - former West Indies and Derbyshire great - serves as the new club president.
Wicket-taker: Imran Tahir. While the South African legspinner is undoubtedly more prolific in the shorter formats, Derbyshire's leading wicket tally last year was Tony Palladino's 39, so they club will be desperately hoping their new signing can make an immediate impact.
Century-maker: Wayne Madsen. Once again, the bulk of the Derbyshire run-scoring lies with Madsen. He struck as many as six centuries for the country in 2016 on his way to 1,292 runs for the season, at an average of 58.72.
Young player to watch: Harvey Hosein (wicketkeeper-batsman). A real bright spot in a season of not too many, Hosein hit a maiden Championship hundred in 2016 to go with four fifties (and a hundred average) in his four first-class appearances.
2016: Seventh
2017 prediction: Ninth
Sky Bet odds: 14/1
Chances in a tweet: A lack of off-season movement means Leicestershire are likely to take a step-back in 2017, much like a certain football team of theirs.
What's new? Leicestershire made big strides - well strides, at least - with a four-win season in 2016 steering them to a seventh-place finish. Quite the success story for a side with three wooden spoons (and just two wins) to their name in the previous three campaigns. County veterans Paul Horton, Mark Pettini and Neil Dexter came in and made an impression, though no such notable strengthening has been forthcoming ahead of this summer, with the exception of Luke Ronchi's arrival as their overseas player.
Wicket-taker: Clint McKay. Arguably one of the best overseas signings in county cricket over the last couple of seasons, the 34-year-old Australian seamer has brought his competitive spirit to Grace Road as well as a bag full of wickets, his 56 - at an impressive average of 22.50 - in in 2016 leading the side.
Century-maker: Mark Cosgrove. Another Australian, the four-day skipper struck five Championship hundreds in 2016 and continues to be a key component of their revival.
Young player to watch: Zak Chappell (allrounder). A tall fast bowler who also cracked a batting record on debut, a highest score of 96 by a Leicestershire No 10.
2016: Fourth Division One, relegated via ECB punishment
2017 prediction: 10th
Sky Bet odds: 28/1
Chances in a tweet: A wounded Durham side are likely to be a force in the division, but fighting upstream against that points deduction will take its toll.
What's new? Lots. How about relegation from Division One, despite a fourth-placed finish, for a start? Add to that a 48-point deduction to begin the 2017 season due to their accepting of a financial aid package from the ECB. The county's money problems have also seen them lose key contributors on the playing staff, like Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman, who have both joined Surrey. It's not all doom and gloom though, the hugely influential and ageless Paul Collingwood stays on as skipper, while a certain Sir Ian Botham arrives as chairman.
Wicket-taker: Chris Rushworth. The seamer is only two years removed from a County Championship-leading 83 wickets at 20.61 that had many calling for him to receive international recognition. A poorer return of just 32 scalps in 2016 has seen that talk die down, but Division Two cricket could prove to be a very happy hunting gound.
Century-maker: Keaton Jennings. Likely to be lost to England duty for large chunks of the season after his impressive efforts on Test debut in India. Still, his presence at the club when other 'home-grown' talents have departed, is a big bonus. Plus, South Africa's Stephen Cook and New Zealand's Tom Latham can hopefully cover his absences with weight of runs during their respective stints over the summer.
Young player to watch: Jack Burnham (batsman). Is this the year that the 20-year-old - who struck a maiden Championship hundred last year - truly delivers on his undoubted talent.
