NEW skipper Joe Leach is hoping for plenty of hot streaks of form from Worcestershire this summer - but also to show more resilience when the going gets tough.

Leach is looking for the County to get off to a flying start and build a platform for the summer although he believes Division Two of the Specsavers County Championship has grown stronger.

But the all-rounder is aware of the importance of battling through the periods when not firing on all cylinders to ensure irretrievable damage is not caused in a game.

Leach said: "There are some good teams in our division again. People seem to have strengthened so I think that division is going to be stronger than it was 12 months ago.

"But there is no reason to say we can't go out and win those first couple of games and set the platform for the rest of the season.

"Our problem has been when we are hot, we are hot - and when we are cold, we are cold.

"It's about making sure we keep those hot streaks but we are a bit more resilient and tough during those times when we are a little bit cold.

"That's the responsibility of us as a playing group to take that on now.

"It would be foolish of me to sit here and say we are going to be hot all season through all three competitions.

"Obviously we all want that but we need to be stronger in tougher periods. We need to identify when we are going through a tough period.

"That is going to be my job as captain now, to get the best out of the guys when we are going through that little rough patch and get the best out of the side and try and steer us through those rough patches.

"When we are hot, that's an easy job then. I'm very aware of that. We will give it a go and hopefully we will start winning games straight away.

"But when that rough patch comes in the season, there is going to be an expectation on the lads to be tougher and make sure people don't want to come here because we are a tough side and a tough mature side now as opposed to a side that had that youthful frailty.

"I think we've got a lot of tough characters in that dressing room but as a collective that needs to be put into performances.

"It is very easy to say on paper but the proof is in the pudding and when the chips are down that's when people need to put their hand up."