Somerset skipper Jamie Cox is keen to take advantage of the fact that Yorkshire and Surrey are not playing in the fresh round of the CricInfo Championship.

Somerset are currently third in the Championship and hope to close the gap on the two pace setters when they meet bottom club Northants at Wantage Road.

"It'll be good if we can get closer to them," Cox explained. "We managed to get 10 points last week (against Yorkshire), and we batted well. We're going okay and sitting where we need to be sitting. It's about getting steady points."

Cox will miss the next two or three weeks with his broken thumb, leaving Somerset without several first team players to a mixture of England calls and injury, but rival captain, David Ripley, is taking nothing for granted.

"Somerset are a good side. They have quite a small squad but always seem very together and close-knit. Obviously they'll be missing (Andy) Caddick and (Marcus) Trescothick, but they've got guys to come in and take their chances."

Kent are level on points with Somerset, and entertain Leicestershire at Canterbury.

"Leicestershire are playing good cricket and I expect them to come down here full of confidence," Kent captain Matthew Fleming said. "They have shown they've got great strength in depth and they've got good match-winners with the bat and the ball."

Aftab Habib returns to strengthen the visitors' squad.

Middlesex and Warwickshire meet at Edgbaston in a top of the table Second Division clash, with Mohammed Sheikh's medium pace expected to be preferred to the off-spin of former captain, Neil Smith, for the hosts.

Middlesex's coach, John Emburey, is expecting a tight encounter. "It's a top-of-the-table clash and it's not going to be easy," he said. "They play some positive cricket and try to get their runs quickly. I'd imagine it'll be a very close match between two evenly-matched sides."

Meanwhile Durham travel to West End to play Hampshire. Stephen Harmison is hoping to be fit for the visitors, but Nick Hatch has been included in the squad as cover. James Brinkley is away with the Scottish squad in Canada for the 2001 ICC Trophy.

"Durham have been playing very well in the one-day championship and they are far more consistent in the championship this year," Tim Tremlett, Hampshire's director of cricket, said.

Gloucestershire will have to cope without Jon Lewis who has a bad back, but Ben Gannon is expected to play as they travel to Derby. The home side welcome back Paul Aldred and Nathan Dumelow.

Kevin Pietersen will miss Nottinghamshire's home match with Sussex suffering from a pinched nerve in his back. Ex-Test player, 37-year-old John Morris is the man likely to replace him.

© CricInfo