ESSEX Eagles begin their one-day campaign with a tough opening Friends Provident Trophy South East Division trip to face the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury on Sunday.

The Eagles flew to the semi-finals of last season's competition, only to lose out to the Durham Dynamos, who went on to win the tournament, in a memorable low-scoring semi-final at the Riverside.

However, a poor run of one-day form later in the summer led to Mark Pettini's side being relegated from NatWest Pro40 Division One just 12 months after the county had won its second succesive title.

Kent, meanwhile, showed their mettle in the shortened forms of the game by winning the Twenty20 Cup for the first time.

Captain Rob Key, the former England batsman, led the way to that success with 68 not out in the county's final victory over Gloucestershire.

And the 28-year-old is sure to be the Key to the Spitfires' success in Sunday's clash with a county they have beaten in four of the last six one-day matches between the two.

A rain-shortened Twenty20 clash at the St Lawrence Ground last July ended in a three-run win for the hosts.

Kent also secured a three-wicket success in the Friends Provident Trophy at Chelmsford in May 2007.

The previous year, Key's 89 was the mainstay of the Spitfires 281/6, but Pettini's 80 and 61 from the now-departed Andy Flower saw Essex home by four wickets.

In the 2006 Twenty20 Cup, Kent triumphed by 39-runs at Canterbury, while the two counties splint their two Twenty20 matches in 2005.

Aside from Key, Kent will also call upon the services of Ashes-winning wicketkeeper Geraint Jones and a host of international players, including fluent South African batsman Martin van Jaarsveld and a pair of Pakistan all-rounder and one-day specialists in Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat.

One face familiar to Essex fans will be Martin Saggers, who spent a successful loan spell at the Ford County Ground last summer.

For Essex Graham Napier, who enjoyed a successful winter playing one-day cricket in New Zealand, with seamer Chris Wright likely to make way.

Ex-England paceman Alex Tudor could also be involved.

Kent Spitfires: (from) Key (capt), Denly, van Jaarsveld, Walker, Stevens, Jones (wkt), Azhar Mahmood, Tredwell, Yasir Arafat, Saggers, Cook, Dixey, Dexter, Amjad Khan, McLaren, Northeast.

Essex Eagles: (from) Pettini (capt), Chopra, Gallian, Bopara, Flower, Foster (wkt), ten Doeschate, Middlebrook, Napier, Masters, Nel, Wright, Phillips, Tudor.

TICKETS for Sunday's game will be available on the gate from 10am priced at £15 adults, £12 concessions and £8 juniors.