Gatting has opted for Graham Onions in the North region. The pace bowler has made regular appearances for the England Lions and was a key member of Durham Dynamos’ winning team in last year’s Friends Provident Trophy.
Steven Finn, the 6 ft 8 inch bowler from Middlesex Crusaders has been selected in the South east region. The medium-pacer travelled to India with the England Performance Squad pre-Christmas and then to Malaysia for the U19 World Cup where he was a stand-out performer.
Alex Gidman, Gloucestershire Gladiators’ vice-captain has been chosen from the South/West region. A consistent performer for Gloucestershire since his debut in 2002, he has spent the winter playing domestic one-day cricket in New Zealand.
David Sales has been selected for the Midlands region. The former Northants Steelbacks’ captain has played consistently throughout his career and will be key to the Steelbacks’ campaign in this year’s competition.
Each region boasts one of the four Friends Provident Trophy Ones to Watch, whose progress will be closely followed throughout the competition on ECBtv and The Telegraph online as well as featuring on ecb.co.uk and YouTube. Interviews will be conducted at various stages across the tournament with the players and Gatting.
Gatting commented: “These players are a mixture of young and the talented, all of whom I expect to make an impact on this year’s Friends Provident Trophy, and I am sure the selectors will be monitoring performances closely.
“There is a great deal of talent out there across the counties, as well as Ireland and Scotland, so it wasn’t easy to select just four! I’m sure the competition is going to be fiercely contested and we can expect some tight finishes which will keep spectators on the edge of their seats.”
The Friends Provident Trophy, which kicks off on Sunday April 20, has undergone some key changes for 2008. The two division format has been replaced by four groups of five regionally-based teams to encourage healthy rivalry amongst the players and fans alike.
Quarter-finals have been introduced as an additional round to keep the competition alive for longer and these will be played on Wednesday June 4. The semi-finals will be played on July 4 and 5 and the final will be played at Lord’s on Saturday August 16. It remains the only domestic competition with a final at the Home of Cricket.
The competition continues to be a breeding ground for players looking to play for England as it is the only domestic competition that mirrors the one-day internationals making it the perfect tournament to showcase their talent in front of the England selectors.
Groups
North: Durham Dynamos, Lancashire Lightning, Yorkshire Carnegie, Derbyshire Phantoms, Scottish Saltires
Midlands: Ireland, Nottinghamshire Outlaws, Warwickshire Bears, Leicestershire Foxes, Northants Steelbacks
South/West: Gloucestershire Gladiators, Glamorgan Dragons, Worcestershire Royals, Hampshire Hawks, Somerset Sabres
South East: Essex Eagles, Middlesex Crusaders, Surrey Brown Caps, Kent Spitfires, Sussex Sharks