With snow still falling in parts of South East England, the domestic cricket season feels a long way off... but, a glance at the calendar shows that it's only 36 days before Essex take to the field for the opening friendly match of the 2010 season against their counterparts from Worcestershire.

The gentle thwack of leather on willow will resume at the Ford County Ground at 11.00am on Wednesday, 31st March - weather permitting of course!

By way of a diversion from the dreary winter weather, I thought I'd take a quick look (via the medium of some previously unpublished images) at the players that will be taking the field for my home county during the forthcoming summer.

Essex CCC skipper Mark Pettini steered his team back into the top flight of the County Championship after six years in the lower division. Pettini has also inspired his men to significant success in the shorter versions of the game in recent years...



James Foster has been in a rich vein of form over the last few seasons, both with the bat and the wicket-keeping gloves. Many believe that he should feature far more frequently behind the stumps for his country...



Former Zimbambwe player Grant Flower has posted numerous invaluable performances in one-day games for the Eagles. He is set to leave Essex at the end of the season to take up the role of batting coach to his home country...



Experienced paceman David Masters has shown great consistency in opening the bowling attack. Masters arrived at Chelmsford for the start of the 2008 season after making the move from Leicestershire...



Danish Kaneria is a firm favourite with the Essex faithful, taking 108 wickets in all competitions in 2009. He also recently became Pakistan's leading Test spinner of all-time...



Graham Napier's 152 not out from just 58 balls against Sussex Sharks in the Twenty 20 Cup in June 2008 will live long in the memory. He also made his mark in the County Championship in 2009 with some sterling showings to propel Essex towards promotion...



Matt Walker boasted an exemplary batting record at Kent before joining Essex at the start of last season. He collated no less than 933 County Championship runs in his inaugural Chelmsford campaign...



Tim Phillips has been dogged by injury over recent seasons but he will be pushing for more first team action in 2010 on the back of some excellent NatWest Pro40 performances...



Batsman Ravi Bopara featured in four of the five Ashes Test matches in 2009. He returned to his county to score a stunning 201 against Surrey at Colchester in August...



Firmly established as an integral part of the current England set-up, Alastair Cook still contributed 493 runs at an average of 35.21 to his county's Championship campaign in 2009...



All-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate continues to be a crucial member of the Essex team. His 108 from 59 balls in the final game of last season at Derbyshire proved to be the match-winning and promotion-clinching innings...



Tony Palladino experienced injury problems in 2009 but he still remains a significant part of the county's plans in 2010...



Pace bowler Maurice Chambers made five County Championship starts in 2009. He will be looking for even more first string appearances in 2010...



Promising young batsman Jaik Mickleburgh was called up to the England Performance squad over the winter of 2009/10 and will be one to watch in 2010...



John Maunders constructed an excellent century on his home Championship debut for Essex against Warwickshire in September 2009. The left-handed batsman will undoubtedly seek to cement a first team spot in 2010...



Mervyn Westfield finished 2009 as the County's leading wicket-taker in 2nd XI cricket. An injury-free 2010 may well see him pushing hard for first team action...



Tom Westley illustrated his great potential with two vital innings at Derbyshire when promotion was secured in the last game of 2009...



Adam Wheater took advantage of James Fosters' call-up to England's World Twenty20 squad in 2009, making several first team appearances...



A series of outstanding performances with the ball and bat in 2009 saw Chris Wright seal his spot as a first team regular. More success surely beckons in 2010...



Bowler Max Osborne has graduated from the Essex Academy to sign a two-year pro deal...



Batsman Billy Godleman is seen here playing for his former county Middlesex at Chelmsford in May 2008. He moved to Essex CCC at the end of last season...



All-rounder Michael Comber will be looking to put injury problems behind him to make an impact in 2010...



Essex CCC coach Paul Grayson has overseen recent success in all disciplines of the game and will certainly be very optimistic about the forthcoming campaign...



Click HERE for a full list of Essex CCC fixtures for 2010. TGS Photo's cricket coverage can be found HERE.

Here's to a spectacular summer!

Labels: 2010, Chelmsford, County, Cricket, Essex, Essex CCC, Ford County Ground