STEVE Rhodes is determined to start the new county cricket season with an overseas star bowler as his "frustrating" search continues.

Worcestershire's director of cricket has missed out on three players this winter, Umar Gul, Ashley Noffke and Shane Bond, for one reason or another.

Even with the LV County Champion-ship campaign just eight weeks away, Rhodes insists that the one overseas vacancy will be filled by April 16 when they head to Edgbaston to face Warwick-shire in the opening game of the season.

But with the Indian Premier League running from April 18 until June 1, as well as international calendar busier than ever before, the New Road chief says it is harder to bring in an overseas player.

"We will have an overseas player to start the season - going without is not an option," Rhodes said defiantly. "We hope to have one as soon as possible and I have been saying that for the past three months.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult with the amount of cricket being played and the IPL has bitten into that as well, I have been actively phoning all over the world and dealing with agents."

Rhodes insisted that the County were still chasing a bowler to fill their overseas vacancy for the new season so that they can carefully manage key bowlers Simon Jones and Matt Mason throughout the campaign.

However, after the Bond setback on Monday, the director of cricket concedes they may need more than one player throughout the season.

Both Noffke and Bond have agreed shorter term contracts at Middlesex and Hampshire respectively and Rhodes believes that they may need to follow suit.

"It could the case that we have more than one overseas player throughout the season, we could break it down into slots because it is now very difficult to get someone for the whole season," he said.

"We want a bowler and the reason we want a bowler is because it gives us the luxury to do what we want withMatt Mason and Simon Jones.

"Without a bowler it will pressurise us in an area I don't want to be pressurised.

"We are very optimistic in the way Simon has approached this winter - it has been fantastic. The same with Matt.

"But if we put too much pressure on them and we might fall foul of it, so we need the helping hands of a quality bowler."

The County's director of cricket also insists that Worcestershire are unlikely to go down the Kolpak route.

Rhodes believes that the signing of Kolpak players has become increasingly "messy" with clubs having to provide airfares and accommodation for them.

"Kolpaks are a short term fix," he said. "I don't like them and generally when a director of cricket goes out and signs them they are worried about their job.

"So if you see me go out and sign six then you know that I'm worried!"