TOM Fell has been named in Worcestershire's senior squad for the first time this season for the Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash with Derbyshire at the 3aaa County Ground tomorrow (11am).

Fell has been playing second XI cricket for the past month after getting the all-clear in his battle against cancer in the lymph nodes.

He was Worcestershire's leading run-scorer in the Championship last season with three centuries and the youngest to achieve 1,000 runs in Division One.

Since returning to action, he has chalked up two half-centuries for the seconds plus a century for Wolverhampton in the Birmingham League.

Fell has always targeted a return to senior action in June and moved a step closer with his inclusion in the squad to face the Peakites.

Director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: "We haven't finalised the team but Tom is in the squad of 12 and, to get in that after what he has been through, is a tremendous effort.

"He is a class player, his job is to play cricket and score runs and he is good at it.

"A stepping stone for him is to get in the squad first and foremost and, if he plays after what he has been through, everyone wishes him well.

"The seconds had a tricky situation last week where they were washed out (at Kidderminster) and then had a dodgy pitch when they were in Oxford (against Unicorns).

"But Tom had got some runs before that and had got a hundred in league cricket, so he has obviously been in good nick."

Worcestershire will return to red-ball cricket for the first time since the five-wicket reversal against Gloucestershire at New Road, which was their first setback in the Championship of 2016.

Despite the complete wash-out of the opening game against Kent, they are still only 20 points behind leaders Essex and collected more batting bonus points, 27, than any other county.

Rhodes said: "Life has been made very difficult for us in the way they've suddenly gone from getting two promoted to one going up in the Championship.

"It has been quite tough on the sides in Division Two to go from two to one.

"We are in the mix but need to get some wins under our belt to try to qualify for Division One.

"It would be brilliant if we could get promoted but it is going to be very tough and we expect a real battle in four-day cricket."

Worcestershire (from): Mitchell, D'Oliveira, Clarke, Fell, Kervezee, Kohler-Cadmore, Whiteley, Cox, Leach, Henry, Barnard, Shantry.