LV= County Championship round 3 team news

It's the third full round of LV= County Championship matches this weekend, here's a round-up of the fixtures including Kent's first four-day home game of the season at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, starting on Sunday.

Kent v Leicestershire

Leicestershire may be established as the whipping boys of county cricket, with Wednesday’s home defeat by Northamptonshire their 19th in 34 Championship matches since their last win in September 2012.

An unchanged Kent squad will entertain Leicestershire, against whom they have a 10-match unbeaten run stretching back to 2003, as the perfect chance to win their first home game of the season for the first time since 2007.

Darren Stevens generally relishes playing against his home county, having played for them for eight seasons before joining Kent in 2005.

Leicestershire are again without Atif Sheikh, the left-arm seamer who injured his shoulder in their opening draw against Glamorgan, and may consider a recall for one or more of several players who have impressed for the second team, including Matthew Boyce and Jigar Naik.

Essex v Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire have not won a Championship match at Chelmsford since 1930, and will arrive as rank outsiders against an Essex team who remain on a roll despite being denied the chance to press for a seventh consecutive win by a washout of the last day of their game against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

They are still missing Tom Westley with a broken thumb, as well as Ravi Bopara at the Indian Premier League, but Nick Browne and Daniel Lawrence shone in Kennington in their absence, Lawrence becoming the third youngest player in history to score a Championship century.

Gloucestershire name an unchanged squad with Gareth Roderick, their Durban-born wicketkeeper, aiming to extend a run of making a half century in each of his four innings this season.

Glamorgan v Derbyshire

Glamorgan are boosted by the availability for the first time this season of Michael Hogan, the tall Australian seamer who has given them such good service over the last two summers, but missed their opening draws against Leicestershire and Surrey with a hamstring injury that also denied him a Sheffield Shield final appearance for Western Australia.

Andrew Salter, the promising off-spinner from Haverfordwest, is also added to a squad that includes the former Derbyshire seamer Graham Wagg.

Derbyshire have lost their opener Billy Godleman for two matches, suspended for throwing the ball dangerously close to a Gloucestershire batsman in their win at Bristol, and that could hand a first chance of the season to Chesney Hughes.

Martin Guptill, who smashed a spectacular double century in that game as well as taking three brilliant catches, will be making his farewell appearance before linking up with New Zealand for their tour opener against Somerset in Taunton next week.

Northamptonshire v Lancashire

Lancashire have won four consecutive Championship matches against Northants, two in 2013 when the counties were promoted together from Division Two, and two last year when they both went straight back down.

They have also started the season with two consecutive wins under their new coach Ashley Giles, despite losing their new captain Tom Smith with a back injury.

He will again be missing this week, so Steven Croft continues as skipper. Nathan Buck, the seamer signed from Leicestershire who has yet to make his Red Rose debut, is again included in a 12-man squad.

Northants could displace them from the top with a victory, having drawn their first game against Gloucestershire then beating Leicestershire at Grace Road.

But they will have to do so without David Willey, who is given a break to prepare for a possible England debut in next Friday’s one-day international against Ireland in Dublin. He is likely to be replaced by the former Lancashire all-rounder Steven Crook.