Jack Leach in Somerset squad for title decider against Essex - but no recall for Marcus Trescothick

Leach played four Tests for England during this summer's Ashes series and became a national cult hero in the process, while he was today rewarded for his impressive displays with an incremental contract by the ECB.

Now back in Taunton, the 28-year-old will be part of Somerset's squad for a match his boyhood side must win if they are to lift the County Championship title for the first time in the club's history.

Somerset head coach Jason Kerr said: "Leachy trained with us this morning [Friday] and will do so again on Sunday.

"He is clearly in very good spirits after the summer he has had, which we have enjoyed watching from afar.

"It is great to have him back and what particularly impressed me was how diligent and focused he was today."

But while one Somerset and England star will take centre stage, another will be watching from the sidelines in his final match before retirement.

Trescothick has not featured for Somerset since the Championship clash against Surrey in June, following which he was dropped after a lean start to the season which yielded 86 runs in eight innings.

There have been calls in some quarters - perhaps with hearts overriding heads - for a recall for the 43-year-old but Kerr, a shade reluctantly, admitted this would not be happening.

"If we had been 150 points ahead, Marcus could have gone out there and batted right-handed," he said.

"I would have loved to have done it [recalled him] from a romantic point of view and it would have given the supporters a chance to say thank you for his incredible contribution to the club over the years.

"But we have to focus on the job at hand. It's a must-win game and we have to pick the 11 with the best chance of winning this game - at the moment, sadly, Marcus isn't in that."

There is set to be a presentation for Trescothick during the match, allowing supporters to say a fond farewell to a batsman with more First Class centuries for Somerset than anyone else.

Trescothick's departure is not the only end to an era around Taunton next week and plenty of attention will be on Simon Lee, the outgoing groundsman who is preparing his final pitch before departing for Hampshire.

"There is a lot of chat about the weather forecast but our intentions for the pitch won't change from how we have viewed it all season," Kerr said.

"We will be preparing for four days of cricket and Simon has done an outstanding job during his time here.

"We are excited for him - it's a fantastic opportunity to work at an international ground - and he has been a key part of this club's success in recent years."

Jack Brooks, meanwhile, trained on Friday but "is not 100% fit", with Somerset set to see how the paceman fares in Sunday's training session before deciding whether to add him to the squad.