MICHAEL Hunt's rivals hope to steal a march on him when the MItsushiba Northern Order of

Merit gets under way on Sunday.

Holder Hunt should begin his defence of his title in the second event, the Southport and Ainsdale Bowl on April 24, which is followed the next day by the Formby Hare.

But the Pleasington man will be playing for Lancashire this weekend in their two-day match against the Great Britain and Ireland Women's Select.

Hunt is the team at Heswall on Saturday and has also been selected to face the potential Curtis Cup squad again at Ormskirk on Sunday, the day of the Crosby Challenge Plate at West Lancashire.

But missing an Order of Merit match will hardly matter because he played in only 10 last season yet still won by 15 points from Red Rose team-mate Ken Hudson, the 2001 winner from Hart Common

Hunt will be keen to join the list of back-to-back winners Garry Boardman and Fairhaven's Karl Wallbank -- and fight his way into the England squad.

"That has to be one of my ambitions," said the player who reached the final of the British Mid-Amateur Championship last year at Royal Liverpool.

Meanwhile, rival captains Bob Bardsley and Ray Hughes will cast more than a cursory glance at the leading players in the Order of Merit this season.

Bardsley is embarking on his first term at the Lancashire helm while Hughes is the experienced general of three campaigns who led Cheshire to the Northern Counties League title last year.

And they will keep a watchful eye on the performances of their players in the merit which embraces a record 31 tournaments, an increase of three, on last year.

Last season, 17 out of the top 20 in the final table were regular members of the neighbouring county sides, two represented Yorkshire and one the Isle of Man.

"If anyone needed proof about the importance of these events the facts are there for all to see," said Martin Wild, a former Lancashire player who instigated the merit 18 years ago.

"We've always acted as a form guide but even more so today with so many fixtures being played at great venues such as Royal Birkdale, Formby, Hillside, Hesketh, Fairhaven, Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancs and now Wallasey and inland courses like Prestbury, Wilmslow and Pleasington.

"Over the years I've lost count of lads who have cut their teeth on our tournaments and gone on to play for their county."

Added to the list this season are the Prestbury Open, Calvert Trophy at Ashton and Lea and the Frank Stableford Trophy at Wallasey."