ESSEX started the Colchester Cricket Festival in Castle Park today seeking the win that would retain their slender hopes of promotion in the LV County Championship.

Defeat in the previous home fixture against Gloucestershire at Southend severely dented their prospects.

And, with only four matches remaining, victory in at least three is vital if the county are to realise their aspirations of returning to the top-flight.

Essex begin today's match in fourth place, 32.5 points behind second-placed Nottinghamshire and 75 adrift of leaders Somerset, who visit Chelmsford in a fortnight.

Middlesex are third, just 1.5 points ahead of Essex and although they have played one match fewer than Mark Pettini's side, the two counties are due to meet at Chelmsford in the final match of the season.

Leicestershire have managed just two wins this season in the competition and such was their poor form earlier in the season that former Essex opener Darren Robinson was relieved of captaincy duties and dropped to the second team.

Also missing will be Stuart Broad and Mansoor Amjad, who are away with England and Pakistan A respectively, while Garnett Kruger has returned to his native South Africa.

However, one man who will be playing for Leicestershire is fast bowler David Masters, who has agreed to join Essex next season.

Nick Walker, John Sadler and Claude Henderson all return, while young off-spinner Jigar Naik is also included in a 12-man squad.

Essex themselves will go into the match without Ravinder Bopara, who is on NatWest Series duty with England before he and his team-mates head off to next-month's Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Without the 22-year-old star, Tim Phillips is expected to take his place at number four in the batting order, although a shoulder injury will prevent the spinner from bowling in the match.

Phillips has got the nod after Essex's request to have Tom Westley released early from England Under-19 duty were turned down.

Essex: (from) Pettini (capt), Chopra, Flower, Phillips, Foster (wkt), ten Doeschate, Middlebrook, Bichel, Napier, Tudor, Kaneria, Palladino Leicestershire: (from): Nixon (capt/wkt), Maunders, New, Ackerman, Sadler, Rosenberg, Allenby, Henderson, Masters, Taylor, Walker, Naik ESSEX all-rounder James Middlebrook has signed a new two-year contract with the county.

The 30-year-old spinner has been an integral part of the county's championship and one-day sides in recent seasons, having moved to the Ford County Ground from Yorkshire in 2002.

Since then, Middlebrook has taken 220 first-class wickets and a further century of victims in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.

Having sorted out his future, the Leeds-born player said: "I'm delighted. I've already had six happy and successful years at the club and now we are entering a new era with a new captain and new coach.

"I feel I am at the peak of my career, playing good cricket, and hopefully we can win some more one-day trophies and get promotion within the two years of my new contract."