WORCESTERSHIRE have stepped up their training preparations for the coming campaign with regular net sessions at New Road which follow last week's rigorous 'warm-up' schedule in Portugal.

The current cold weather may have come as a bit of a shock after their trip to the sun, but they are now set to embark on a series of one-day friendlies, starting tomorrow with a match at Hampshire.

On Monday they entertain Nottinghamshire at New Road and then on Tuesday travel to meet Derbyshire who will be the County's opponents again at New Road on Thursday.

Worcestershire will begin their campaign in earnest on Saturday, April 15, when they visit Northamptonshire for a Benson and Hedges Cup clash.

Meanwhile, former Wor-cestershire captain Tom Moody has been named as one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year. The others are Chris Cairns, Rahul Dravid, Lance Klusener and Saqlain Mushtaq.

New Zealand all-rounder Cairns has been given the award for his efforts in helping his country to an historic Test series triumph in England last summer while Moody, Dravid and Klusener win theirs for their World Cup performances.

Moody left the County at the end of last season after helping with negotiations to secure fellow Australian Glenn McGrath as his overseas replacement at New Road.

Moody spent eight seasons at New Road and took over the captaincy from Tim Curtis during the 1995 campaign.