Preview: Warwickshire v Somerset, LV= Insurance County Championship

Report: Yorkshire v Warwickshire, LV= Insurance County Championship - Image 2

Mark Robinson believes a "great opportunity" awaits Warwickshire's players when they start their LV= Insurance County Championship game at home to Somerset knowing they could end it as champions.

A thrilling conclusion to the title race beckons and the Bears are in the thick of it. They sit in second place, 3.5 points behind Hampshire, 0.5 ahead of Lancashire and three in front of Nottinghamshire. Into the last round, the championship trophy could still end up at any of four locations - Southampton, Birmingham, Manchester or Nottingham.

With such a tight equation, bonus points will be vital and the balance of power is sure to shift by the hour after the games - Warwickshire v Somerset, Lancashire v Hampshire and Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire - start at 10.30am tomorrow.

For the Bears, for whom Chris Woakes is available, the incentive is to bring English cricket's blue riband trophy to Edgbaston for only the eighth time in the club's history. It could be a very special few days for the Bears fans, who have offered their team such great support this year, and the players for whom all the years of hard graft in training is dedicated to setting up weeks like this.

"It is a very exciting prospect for everyone connected to the Bears," said first-team coach Robinson, "and I am really pleased that the players have this opportunity which they have earned by some excellent cricket this season.

"Each player will treat the occasion slightly differently as individuals, but when they get on the field it will be a case of doing the familiar things as well as possible. There will be extra scrutiny and media attention on the game but it's all about doing the simple things right and doing the basics better than Somerset do.

"It's great to have Woakesy available again. ECB have been brilliant around the availability of centrally contracted players and we've maintained excellent communication with England management over the course of the season."

The Bears will aim to continue the momentum from last week's brilliant win over Yorkshire at Headingley. To bounce back so impressively from the home defeat to Hampshire showed exactly the depths of resilience and resolve that Robinson has sought to imbue in his squad since arriving at the club last winter.

His first season has brought many positives, alongside areas where there is room for improvement. To crown it with the championship, or a top-two finish, would be a superb achievement.

"We have had a fair season," Robinson said. "Now if we can carry it off in the last game and win a trophy or, at the very least are heading off to Lord's for a place in the Bob Willis Trophy final, that's the goal.

"We will try to win our match and hope that's good enough to win the whole thing or, at the very least, takes us to Lord's."

Squad

Rhodes (c), Benjamin, Bethell, Bresnan, Briggs, Burgess (wk), Hain, Holder, Lamb, Miles, Norwell, Sibley, Woakes, Yates.

How to follow

Warwickshire Members and supporters will be able to follow all the action from Edgbaston via the Match Centre on edgbaston.com and through the Edgbaston app (available on iOS and Android).