Will Jefferson is aiming to finish his season on a high with his first hundred for Nottinghamshire as the side head to Taunton looking to confirm their Championship promotion.

LV County Championship Division Two
Sept 19-22: Somerset v Notts
Start time: 10.30am

Notts go into the match with the newly-crowned Division Two champions needing just one more point to guarantee finishing in the second promotion place ahead of Middlesex.

That assumes that Middlesex collect maximum points from their fixture with Essex but Jefferson say the Notts dressing room will be completely focused on striking the first blow in what he sees as the opening game of 2008.

He explained: “If we go up, then we will be playing Somerset twice next season and it’s an opportunity for us to make a point to them with a confident performance.

“Teams always look back on past matches and if we can get one over on them this week, they will remember it next summer.”

And Jefferson pointed out that plenty of the Notts players will want to finish with strong individual efforts for a variety of reasons.

He added: “Ryan Sidebottom will want to prove his fitness ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, and several of us are hoping to keep the England selectors on their toes.

“It would be great if I was involved with the Academy again but I know I need a big score to show I’m in some form.

“So far Jason Gallian and I have been making good starts without breaking that two hour barrier, seeing off the new ball and then facing the change bowlers.

“We’re both looking to turn solid starts into big partnerships. As an opener averaging 35 should be a minimum requirement, but I definitely want to finish the season as strongly as possible.”

Injury news:
Mark Ealham will have a fitness test on his hamstring strain ahead of the game, to see if he is fit to return.
A 13-man squad is travelling to Taunton, with Rob Ferley also included to offer an extra spin option.

Squad:
Gallian, Jefferson, Wagh, Fleming (capt), Patel, Shafayat, Read (wkt), Adams, Ealham, Franks, Sidebottom, Shreck, Ferley.