LANCASHIRE couldn't have asked for much more from their pre-season preparations - now for the serious business.

They completed a six-wicket victory over Yorkshire in the four-day friendly at Headingley on Saturday, following an excellent two-week tour of South Africa.

So they go into the first Championship game against Durham at Old Trafford on Wednesday confident of a better start than last season.

"We didn't win for five or six games on the trot last year, so it would be nice to get off to a good start this time," captain Mike Watkinson said today.

"You are always a little bit reliant on the weather at this stage of the season, specially as we play our first three games at home.

"But the Yorkshire game served a good purpose. The tour of South Africa was valuable, but the conditions are very different here. The pitches are slower, the weather is colder and it can be difficult for bowlers to grip the ball." After looking to their youngsters against Yorkshire, Lancashire are likely to revert to their established line-up with Mike Atherton, John Crawley, Jason Gallian, Warren Hegg and Glen Chapple all back after international commitments.

They have a superb record against Durham, who again finished bottom of the championship last season. But Watkinson expects them to provide much stiffer opposition this year under new player-coach David Booth and with another new signing, Nick Speak, keen to make a big impression on his return to Old Trafford.

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