The Sunday League champions made their decision because of their doubts over Munton's fitness after he had missed all last season because of a back problem, which required major surgery.

Dennis Amiss, the Warwickshire chief executive, said: ``If Tim had been able to prove his fitness we would have reappointed him.''

The unlucky Munton has thus become a captain who never had the opportunity to lead the side in his one full year of office.

Warwickshire set a Christmas deadline for him to confirm his recovery, and only last Friday a specialist in Nottingham gave him the most positive report yet.

The former England bowler said: ``I was a little bit surprised by the timing, but I have to be objective enough to understand that Warwickshire had some difficult things to consider. It was never going to be certain that I would be fit for the start of next season.''

Munton has played in numerous trophy-winning teams and was stand-in captain for the injured Dermot Reeve for a large part of the championship programme in the treble campaign of 1994.

He added: ``I always wanted to captain the club and to win a trophy as captain. It will go down in the club's annals that I was captain when we won the Sunday League last season, but the fact that I didn't play meant it did not quite feel the same. I have lost an opportunity to achieve one ambition, but I still have a lot of pride and drive to help Warwickshire win more trophies.''

Lara's appointment will be for one year only because the South African, Allan Donald, is almost certain to resume as the overseas player in 1999. In that event Warwickshire would require a new captain for a third year in a row.

A fully fit Munton would be a contender, along with the vice-captain Nick Knight and the all rounder Neil Smith, who captained them in the NatWest Trophy final.