Tough challenges keep coming for County as they head to Yorkshire

Talk has been about the consistency of challenge that will be faced in Division One of the LV= County Championship and the opening fortnight of the season makes the point.

Northamptonshire have been served warning as to what they should expect this season and this weekend they make the trip north to Headingley for another mouth-watering fixture.

Yorkshire, who finished as runners-up last year, are fancied among the nation’s bookmakers to go one place better this time around.

They opened their account with a high-scoring draw against Somerset in Taunton and County captain Stephen Peters is expecting a tough assignment.

He said: “They’ve got a quality side with a number of very good players.

“We all know they’ll have a good seam bowling quartet of (Ryan) Sidebottom, (Jack) Brooks, (Steven) Patterson and (Liam) Plunkett and the pitch will probably be a bit more sporting than the one we’ve just played on.

“That will make it tough for us and it’s important that after the Durham game we can get ourselves back up for this one.”

With regards to the make-up of the visitors’ side, Peters thinks the batting might be strengthened if possible but other than that it will be more of the same.

He continued: “David (Sales) will have had a fitness test and if possible we’d like to get him in.

“There won’t be any other changes in the top order certainly because everyone showed some good form last week.”

Olly Stone is also likely to travel to Leeds to provide some back-up in the bowling department.

Northants from: Peters, Middlebrook, Coetzer, Spriegel, Sales, Newton, Hall, Willey, Murphy, Crook, Chambers, Azharullah, Stone.