The 2003 English Counties League season begins on Saturday with the West Dorset county squad playing at their new home venue at the Budmouth Community Sports Centre in Weymouth.

Highly respected county coach Leanne Kerr is looking forward to her second season in charge of the Serco Aerospace sponsored squad and is keen for success.

"The squad has been training for over two months in preparation and the open team are hoping to gain promotion into the fourth division," she said.

Leanne grew up in Australia, the world's top netball nation and current World and Commonwealth

champions, and she had an excellent introduction to the game and played nationally at schoolgirl level and then at regional level.

She moved to Scotland in 1990 and won the Scottish Cup with the Glasgow Scotstoun club and also represented the Scotland National Squad.

In 1993 she moved to Dorset but with her playing days limited as a result of injuries she switched to coaching at a large club in Salisbury. Then in 1999 she moved to coach two teams in Frome who have now formed the successful Wessex Blades club in the Avon League.

With a shortage of coaches in West Dorset she took up the challenge of coaching the county squad in 2001 and was also elected chair of the county committee last summer.

The ECL is split into four divisions and three regional sections, North, South East and South West.

At the end of the season the top teams in each regional section play off to determine who will gain promotion to the fourth division.

The main contenders for the First Division title will be reigning champions Essex Met, whose squad includes England vice-captain, Amanda Newton, and former captain Fiona Murtagh, both stars of the Commonwealth Games squad in Manchester last summer.

Determined to prevent a sixth consecutive title for Essex Met will be Derbyshire who will be fielding nine members of the commonwealth games squad, including captain Olivia Murphy, shooter Alex Astle and new signing Tracey Neville, sister of Manchester United's Gary and Phil.

South West interest will be on the shoulders of Geva Mentor of Bournemouth Netball Club who will be lining up for newly promoted Gloucestershire alongside her England team mate Jess Garland and a number of National Development squad members.

West Dorset line up in the South West regional section with their first match on Saturday at home against Cornwall.

The open squad will play indoors at 1pm and the Under-18 and Under-16 squads will be outside at 2pm.

Coach Kerr believes the first match will be the toughest as Cornwall have several national squad and national development squad members coming through the ranks.

This is the first time the county squad have played matches in Weymouth, having previously been based in Wimborne, and with a number of South West Dorset League players in their squad, county officials are hoping for good local support for the home team.

South West Dorset league players included in the squads are, Kelly Browne, Becky Fagg (New Look), Sue Lee, Sally David, Nicky Marsh (Waterside), Lucy Yates, Kathryn Reed (Chickerell Utd) and Felicity Roper (Poachers Inn).

FIXTURES

ENGLISH COUNTIES LEAGUE 2003

SOUTH WEST REGIONAL SECTION

WEST DORSET COUNTY SQUAD

Home matches to be played at Budmouth Community Sports Centre

10pm: Open squad play indoors

2pm: Under-18 & Under-16 squads play outdoors

Saturday, January 11:

Home v Cornwall

Sunday, January 19:

Away v East Devon at Maynard School, Exeter

Saturday, February 8:

Home v West Devon

Saturday, March 1:

Away v Avon at the Grange Community School, Warmley

Saturday, March 15:

Away v Guernsey at Crookhorn, Pirbrook, Hants

Saturday 29 and Sunday, March 30:

Alex Barlass Inter Counties Tournament at Middlesbrough

Saturday, April 5:

Home v Royal Navy

Sunday, April 6:

Away v Hereford