Somerset Sabres return to one day action tomorrow when they travel to Birmingham to play against Warwickshire Bears in the NUL Division One National League.

Over the years Edgbaston has not been a very happy hunting ground for Somerset, and on the last occasion that the two sides met on April 28th in the zonal round of the Benson and Hedges Cup Warwickshire were the victors in a rain affected match.

The Sabres will be heartened by the inclusion of their two England players Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick, and the return of fast bowler Richard Johnson who has been missing from the scene for several weeks recovering from injury.

However Steffan Jones is still not fully fit, so doesn't make the trip to the midlands. Instead, Steffan will be playing in two club matches over the weekend to see how he fares before knowing whether he will be fit to play in the championship match at Bath on Wednesday.

The full Somerset Sabres squad is: Marcus Trescothick, Jamie Cox, Peter Bowler, Mike Burns, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Andy Caddick, Simon Francis and Matt Bulbeck.

Earlier today Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "It's great to have Caddy, Tresco and Johnno back in the team, and apart from Steffan we are at full strength."

What were his thoughts going into the game at Edgbaston I asked. Kevin told me: "Warwickshire are on the back of a good win in the Bensons and will either be on the crest of the wave as a result, or will be shattered like we were when we played a couple of days after winning the C and G last season."

He added: "However we have had a good break and everybody is ready for the next game tomorrow."

Veteran batsman Peter Bowler was in no doubt about the importance of the game tomorrow when I spoke to him earlier this week. He told me: "This is a must win match for us. We can't afford to lose another. With the competition being played over 16 matches not many teams can recover from three defeats on the trot."

He concluded: "However it's not all doom and gloom. The general feeling of confidence is good, and hopefully the win over the Yorkshire Cricket Board will give us the lift we need."

© SOMERSET