DURHAM skipper Jon Lewis admits that preparations for today's opening County Championship game against Hampshire have been far from ideal, writes Scott Wilson.

With the weather forcing the abandonment of pre-season games against both Yorkshire and Derbyshire, Lewis has been forced to select a 12-man squad for today's game without seeing some of his senior players in competitive action.

And, while the 33-year-old is confident Durham will hit the ground running as they look to secure promotion to the upper tier of the four-day game, choosing his side for the Rose Bowl has proved a tricky task.

"Reading out the 12 for the first game was tough," said Lewis. "We haven't had enough match practice to give the full squad a chance to stake a claim, so it's been a little unfair on some.

"Everybody wants to be in the 12 because they know that, once you're in the side, you'll stay in as long as you do your job.

"But I had to name 12 and there were some disappointed players. You wouldn't want it any other way though, because disappointed players want to go away and prove me wrong."

Durham (from): J J B Lewis (capt), M A North, G J Muchall, G J Pratt, N Peng, G M Hamilton, G R Breese, A Pratt, G D Bridge, L E Plunkett, M A Davies, R King.

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