AFTER nearly a quarter of a century battling under the Kent barrier, Martyn Sekjer may be forgiven if he finds the situation a little strange on Saturday morning at Horsham.

Instead of lining up for last season's finalists in this second-round clash, he will be doing his utmost to put them out of the Liberty Trophy - and take his new county Hampshire a step closer to the Melton Mowbray final.

A career move that brought the 44-year-old international to work in Southampton a year ago is a definite plus for Hampshire and his contribution could prove vital as Julian Haines's side embark on a revenge mission after being beaten by Kent - and Sekjer - in last winter's quarter-final.

Sekjer has been an illustrious and long-standing fixture in the Kent set-up first playing Middleton Cup for them in 1978 and making his Liberty Trophy debut six years later.

Many of the seasons since then have been spent as a skip, the highlight indoors being when Kent lifted the 1986 Liberty Trophy.

Sekjer said: "When I saw the draw at the beginning of the season, it looked like Hampshire would meet Kent and the banter started immediately.

"I said to our manager Julian Haines that I would love to watch the game but obviously he wanted me to play in it! And when I saw the Kent manager Dave Smith in London, I told him there is one man I'd love to play against - namely Andy Thomson - but it all depends on the rink draw.

"I must admit I will have mixed feelings lining up against Kent. I have been playing alongside many of their bowlers for years and I know them intimately whereas I am just getting to know the Hampshire lads.

"But whichever way the match goes I know I won't make any enemies."

Sekjer is not the only leading light absent from the Kent side - they have also lost the legendary Gary Smith whose position in the hierarchy of bowls administration has seen him move to Edinburgh.

So who will win? "Kent have lost myself and Gary, so if you take the two of us out of the team judged on last season's result, that would even things up and make this season's game very close, on paper at any rate.

"But looking at the game from an unbiased point of view, my money will be on Hampshire."

Whatever the outcome Sekjer will be spending Saturday evening with his old muckers from Kent - after the match he and wife Diane head to Maidstone for the Kent outdoor association's annual dinner along with many of his former Liberty Trophy colleagues.

Following their comfortable first-round success against Sussex, Hampshire make one change to their team, Ron Sparks (East Dorset) being brought in to lead for Kevin Cousins in place of Atherley's Steve Henry.

Hampshire rinks: Michael Squires (East Dorset), Colin Hayward (Victory), Bill Ward, Julian Haines (both East Dorset); Alan Geary (East Dorset), Steve Robertson (Victory), Richard Shelley (Atherley), Martyn Sekjer (East Dorset); Keith Cole (Atherley), Trevor Bailey (Havant), Peter Hobday (Victory), Peter Ward (Atherley); Ron Sparks, Terry Chivers (both East Dorset), Colin Thresher (Atherley), Kevin Cousins (East Dorset); Dean Morgan, Chris Martin (both East Dorset), Paul May (Rushmoor), Graham Standley (Longmeadow); Matthew Marchant (Victory), Andy Ross (Longmeadow), Darren Griffith (Victory), Russell Morgan (East Dorset).