Sussex coach Peter Moores is confident his side can start the new season with a victory tomorrow.

The county haven't beaten Kent in the Benson & Hedges Cup since 1989 and Kent have won the last three meetings. But Moores insists that history will count for little when they square-up at Canterbury in the opening group tie (10.45am).

"We're not the sort of side that looks at the past, we're due to beat them in the B&H and we'll be going hell for leather to do it," he said.

Will House is poised to make his Sussex debut against the county he left at the end of last season because of a lack of first team opportunities. The 24-year-old left-hander took three wickets and scored a composed 65 in the friendly win over Durham and is relishing the prospect of opening the innings with Richard Montgomerie.

"I joined this club because I thought they were moving in the right direction. Working with the lads over the last couple of weeks has just confirmed that opinion," he said.

Monday's game was the only competitive cricket Sussex played in their pre-season build-up but their opponents have had all their friendlies cancelled.

Conditions, and the possibility of a shortened match, are likely to dictate Sussex's final selection. Parts out the Canterbury outfield were under two feet of water last week and with House's medium pacers an option they may be tempted to leave out left-arm spinner Umer Rashid and play an extra batsman. James Carpenter and Bas Zuiderent are both in the squad with Michael Bevan not due to arrive until Tuesday.

Indian batsman Rahul Dravid and wicketkeeper Paul Nixon, whom Sussex tried to sign in the close season, will make their Kent debuts but two of their key bowlers are absent.

Julian Thompson, the county's leading wicket taker in the Championship last season, is recovering from knee surgery while England seamer Dean Headley is still sidelined by the back problem which forced him to come home early from the winter tour of South Africa.

Kent's squad includes paceman Ben Phillips, who missed the whole of last season with a broken collar bone, all-rounder James Golding, off-spinner James Hockling and seamer Martin Saggers who was restricted to just two games last season because of a stress fracture of the spine.

Kent (from): Key, Walker, Dravid, Wells, Ealham, Fleming, Nixon, Phillips, Golding, McCague, Masters, Hockling, Saggers, Patel.

Sussex (from): Montgomerie, House, Adams, Zuiderent, Cottey, Carpenter, Martin-Jenkins, Rashid, Humphries, Kirtley, Taylor, Lewry, Robinson.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.