Northants coach Sadler says places up for grabs in final pre-season clash

The County entertain Oxford from Saturday onwards, with the first-class counties' seasonal clashes against university outfits traditionally marking the start of the English cricketing summer.

Northants have already played a couple of two-day rain-affected practise matches against Worcestershire and Leicestershire, but Sadler believes this weekend is the first 'real game' of the campaign.

The match offers Sadler and his team the final chance to fine-tune things ahead of the LV= Insurance County Championship opener against Kent at Canterbury next Thursday (April 6).

And it will also offers players the last chance to secure their places in the team for that first-class opener.

"It will be great, and the university game is almost a kind of curtain-raiser for the season," said Sadler.

"It is another level up from the practise games that we have had, the two-day friendlies.

"It is a real game now, and there are final selection places up for grabs, so hopefully the intensity goes up a level."

Although not a first-class fixture, the matches against the university are seen as competitive, and Sadler certainly expects Oxford UCCE to make a game of it.

"The Uni teams always come and have a point to prove to us, the want to impress us, so it should be great," he said.

"We have a couple of places that are still up for grabs, and we have a couple of people that we just want to double check their fitness and stuff like that.

"So the game will be brilliant for us.

"I think we are probably a little bit short of where we want to be because we have had a little bit of rain recently.

"But if we can three good days' cricket out of this weekend, then we will be ready to go."

Aside from the injured Emilio Gay and a couple of other players with slight niggles, the County have a full-strength squad to pick from.