DIRECTOR of Cricket Tom Moody was today preparing his Worcestershire troops for what he believes will be a crucial spell in their bid for promotion from Division Two of the Frizzell County Championship.

Tomorrow they open their match against in-form Middlesex at Lord's and then take on current leaders Essex at Southend next week.

Both teams are above the County in the table and a major threat to Moody's aim of clinching promotion.

He said: "The next two weeks are big ones for us with Middlesex and Essex coming up. If we can have two solid weeks it would put us in a strong position.

"Middlesex are a side in form and we will have our work cut out. Lord's has been a very good batting surface this season so results have been hard to come by."

Second-placed Middlesex maintained their impressive unbeaten record with an emphatic eight-wicket victory and a maximum 20-point haul in their last game against Glamorgan at Cardiff.

They have now won four out of six matches and have a game in hand over Essex.

Fourth-in-the-table Worcestershire will be unchanged from the side which crushed injury-hit basement club Dur-ham by an innings and 308 runs at New Road last Friday.

Batsman Stephen Peters, meanwhile, is on the brink of regaining full fitness after breaking his thumb in a Championship match against his former club Essex at New Road in mid-May.

Moody said: "He's played a couple of second team games, but he's still a little bit hesitant in the field. He should be 100 per cent fit by the end of the week."

Peters was included in yesterday's Second Eleven Trophy match against Gloucestershire at New Road. His chance to step up his fitness programme, however, was curtailed due to rain.

Gloucestershire won the toss and decided to bat, making 170-7 off 43 overs before the game was abandoned.

The County's most productive bowler was trialist Alex French from Cardiff University, an off-spinner who re-turned figures of 10-1-35-3.