Bears face testing time on the road; COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP: Notts and Durham present tough challenges: CRICKET.

Byline: Brian Halford

WARWICKSHIRE'S championship trail entered a testing phase on the road today with a visit to Nottinghamshire launching a string of three successive away games.

Having already played seven of their eight home four-day games this season, the Bears must play the rest of their programme largely on opposing territory, due to the club's request for that to be the case so that work on the Pavilion End redevelopment can begin.

First up for Ian Westwood's side are two of their toughest games of the season - at Trent Bridge starting today and then against reigning champions and Division One leaders Durham at Chester-le-Street starting next Wednesday. Then the Bears will face Yorkshire at Scarborough, a venue which has seen them horribly thrashed on their last two visits. It is a demanding schedule and the Bears are happy to have Indian fast bowler Sreesanth on board for it. The 27-year-old was today set for his championship debut as his interesting and varied career enters a new phase. He has played only 46 first-class matches, 14 of which have been Test matches.

All eyes will be on Sreesanth over the next six weeks to see if he can provide the desired injection of experience and killer instinct into a Bears' seam attack still, in some cases, early in their development. If he does - and also proves to be a good dressing-room influence - a return to Edgbaston at some stage next year and beyond is not out of the question.

At Trent Bridge this week, Warwickshire will encounter a Nottinghamshire side still clinging to hopes of reeling in Durham to challenge for a championship title they have lifted only once in the last 22 years. The Bears' record on the famous old ground is one of their worst anywhere. Of 59 championship matches at Trent Bridge they have won only eight and lost 26.

The match between the sides at Edgbaston in early June was sentenced to a draw by the loss of the first two days to rain. When the contest finally began, Westwood, Ian Bell and Jim Troughton hit half-centuries to lift the Bears to 402 before their former team-mate Mark Wagh showed his strokeplay has lost none of its lustre with 147 from 161 balls.

CAPTION(S):

Championship bow: All eyes will be on Sreesanth.