Nick Killick may be moving into coaching, but don't expect him to hang up his No.2 shirt just yet.

The Sussex hooker is teaming up with another old Harlequin in David Price and former Haywards Heath club mate Paul Halsey to knock the county Under-20s into shape.

Action in the Tetley's Bitter County Championship gets under way tomorrow when Sussex go to Chiswick to face Middlesex in London & South East Group B.

They visit Eastern Counties a fortnight later and host Hertfordshire at Brighton on March 4.

The new coaching trio will have had more of an idea of how they were progressing when Sussex took on a President's XV in a warm-up match in the Waterhall sunshine last Sunday.

Killick, who is still in great form for table-topping Heath, said: "I am not retiring yet. I have still got another two or three years left playing. Maybe after that I will take a break, but I want to get into coaching at some stage.

"I used to do a bit with Ditchling and I have helped Steve Heaton at Heath."

The new trio, under the guidance of team manager Alan Jenkins, will be hoping their side fare better than a year ago, when they lost all three of their County Championship games.

Their campaign got off to a bad start when, despite no shortage of spirit, they went down 43-7 at Chichester to a powerful Middlesex outfit for whom London Irish loose forward Declan Danaher caught the eye.

Danaher has since progressed to the England U-21 side and was outstanding in their pre-Christmas win over Wales. They then lost 27-5 to Kent before being edged out 32-31 at Eastern Counties.

Killick added: "We have got a few guys back from university who have committed themselves to the squad.

"I know from my experience with the senior side that it is tempting to pick superstars from London clubs and then find they cannot commit themselves to training.

"The other coaches have seen the players come through the age groups and know more about them, but I will have my sixpenneth worth as well when it comes to selection."

Names which will not feature when the team is picked include Adam Halsey, Ben Broster, David Tibbott, Ben Hampson and Andy Higgins, who are tied up with their clubs.

Stuart Charnley, who made the London and South East Under-21 team last season, is in the squad, along with several other bright prospects currently faring well on the county club circuit.

Sussex named their squad after a warm up game last Sunday against a President's XV and it includes only three of last season's team in Huw Jenkins at hooker, Tony Cruz at full back and Stuart Charnley on the wing.

There is a debut for one face new to Sussex rugby, the Wasps Under-21 second row Michael McCarthy. At 18st, McCarthy is expected to make a terrific contribution in tight and loose, providing a sizeable cornerstone on which Sussex hope to build possession.

Hopes are also being pinned on backs such as Cruz, Charnley and Hugh Griffin to open up the oppositio,n the squad are approaching the game with optimism.

Worthing's second row brothers Ben and Charlie McGowan are both called up, along with Hove's highly-rated prop Ryan Storer.

Forwards: Kamal Mauldin (East Grinstead), Ryan Storer (Hove), Rhodri Lewis (East Grinstead), Ryan Hawkes (Lewes), Huw Jenkins (Haywards Heath), David Foster (Lewes), Michael McCarthy (Wasps), Ben McGowan (St. Mary's Univ), Charlie McGowan (Worthing), Ben Sole (Hove), Charlie Cooper (Loughborough Univ.), Craig Armstrong (Loughborough Univ), Ben Gilbert (Bath Univ), Backs: Toby Browne (Eastbourne Coll.), James Finlayson (Hove), Paul Fleming (Haywards Heath), Hugh Griffin (Wasps), James Saunders (Reading Univ.), Lawrence Ross (Crowborough), Richard Leather (Stirling Univ.), Stuart Charnley (Saracens), Anthony Cruz (St. Mary's Univ.).