Cricket: Horton poised for Lancs'debut.

Byline: SIMON WILSON

SEFTON's PaulHorton is set to make a first class debut for Lancashire at Durham University today.

The Liverpool Competition batsmen is poised to make his first class debut after impressing for the county's second team during the opening matches of the new season.

Horton, 20,has captained Lancashire under-16s, under-17s, under-19s as well as the LCB team. He joined Lancashire on their pre-season tour to South Africa earlier this year.

Right-hander Horton, who was born in Sydney and was given a scholarship by Lancashire this summer,has been included in a 12-man squad for the three day game as several senior players take a break.

One of his team-mates in the squad is Liverpool captain Jamie Haynes, taking over as wicket keeper from Warren Hegg, and Oliver Newby, an 18-year-old seamer from Blackburn who like Horton has impressed for the second team this season, will also make his first senior appearance in a rookie attack with Steven Crook and Sajid Mahmood.

It will also be a first-class debut for Crook, a blond pace man who like Horton was born in Australia but has a British passport,and whose only previous senior appearances have come in one-day cricket.

Glen Chapple and Peter Martin have been given the chance to rest their niggles while John Wood and Kyle Hogg were ruled out by shin and calf injuries respectively,and James Anderson and Andy Flintoff are away with England - although Flintoff is now injured as well.

Lancashire's batting line-up has a slightly more familiar look with Alec Swann and Mark Chilton,aiming for a third consecutive century on the ground where he scored his only ton last season.

Carl Hooper will also play as he looks to shake off the rustiness following his long post-WorldCup lay-off, withChris Schofield given another chance to impress and Gary Yates, who had a spell playing for Northern in the Liverpool Competition, is expected to act as nonplaying captain.