Nottinghamshire seconds are travelling to Southend for their second match of the season - a three day friendly against Essex starting tomorrow.
Coming off the back of a 141-run victory over Loughborough MCCU, the game against Essex provides another chance for players to increase competition for places within the squad.
Captain Paul Franks believes winter preparations have put the team in a good position moving towards the start of the season.
“We played a strong Loughborough team last week and put in a really good performance, so we can take a lot of confidence from that,” Franks said.
“A lot of academy lads got a good run out and were able to show what they can do.
“The likes of Brett Hutton, Connor Marshall and Tom Moores all had the good games I expected of them too.
“We played Essex around the same time last year and they provided a really competitive contest.
“They have a number of players who are on the fringes of their first team so will be looking to put in big performances to put their names forward.”
With the likes of Luke Wood and Jake Libby having their taste of first eleven action last term, Franks is hoping for more players to emerge as candidates for first team cricket in 2015.
“Every single player in this squad has brilliant ability and it is about them showing it and us as coaches bringing it to the fore,” he said.
“That first game of the season will be crucial for us to hit the ground running and find that perfect performance early on.
“We are going out there to win every game and that is never going to change.”
Nottinghamshire 2nd XI’s squad to face Essex: Paul Franks (c), Greg Smith, Anuj Dal, Sam Wood, Brett Hutton, Adam Tillcock, Luke Fletcher, Tom Moores, Connor Marshall, Luke Wood, Simon Webster and Matthew Carter