The fortnight's break in Twenty20 Cup action could not have handed Leicestershire two tougher Championship tests.

Last week they were at home to Kent, who were relegated from the top flight last season, and tomorrow they line up at Grace Road against Surrey, the other side to drop down in 2008.

Both are heavily favoured to go straight back up but, while Kent have confidently set about the task of regaining their place in Division One, Surrey have found life far from straightforward.

Ominously for the Foxes they appeared to have found something like their form over the weekend just down the road at Northampton where they dominated with the ball and followed up strongly with the bat to win by an innings and 95 runs.

That will not have been lost on the Leicestershire camp but the mood is good and the challenge Surrey will present is one they are looking forward to. Having finished the first batch of Twenty20 games strongly, County followed up well by banking maximum batting points for the first time this season in the rain-hit draw against Kent.

It was a solid rather than spectacular showing. But it was also a huge improvement on Leicestershire's previous first-innings performances in the Championship, which had brought a tally of just two bonus points.

The opening partnership of Matthew Boyce and Josh Cobb gave County a good base, Boeta Dippenaar and HD Ackerman carried that forward with half-centuries, while Tom New's season best 85 not out steered the Foxes past 400.

"We've built a good team spirit," said senior coach Tim Boon. "We wanted to take the momentum we had from Twenty20 into the Championship. Winning those matches against Notts and Derbyshire created some expectancy and we wanted to build on that."

As happy as Boon was to see his side get beyond 400, he said there were areas to work on if Leicestershire are to dominate games.

"We played the extra batter and to get five batting points was good," he said.

"But one or two of the top five should have gone on and got a big hundred after getting in. That is when you take games away from the opposition."

Cobb's switch to opening is an interesting one, having established himself in the side in the middle order in the second half of last season.

"We feel he can do a job there," said Boon. "We are still forming our Championship side but Josh is capable of opening the batting.

"I'm not saying it is set in stone but we want him to enjoy himself and back himself against the new ball.

"We thought he and Matthew Boyce would form a good combination and I was happy with the way Josh played until he got out."

The 18-year-old looks likely to have further opportunities at the top of the order with Greg Smith, who has been at Durham University for the first part of the season, sidelined with a broken thumb which will rule him out until early next month.

Jim Allenby returns to the squad for the visit of Surrey. An elbow injury, picked up during his fantastic T20 century against Notts, ruled him out of contention for the encounter with Kent but Boon says the all-rounder is back to full fitness and should be able to back his batting with the seam bowling that is important to the balance of the side.

However, seamer Sam Cliff is set for a lengthy spell out of action. He has struggled all season with shin splints and will have surgery later this month in an attempt to solve a problem which has set back the development of a young bowler who finished the 2008 campaign in good fashion.

Leicestershire Foxes' next Twenty20 Cup game, the visit to Lancashire a week today, is a sell-out at Liverpool. That hardly comes as a surprise with the home side setting the pace in the North Division after posting six consecutive wins. That run included a clinical seven-wicket victory over the Foxes at Grace Road.

However, there is also the prospect of Andrew Flintoff making a rare one-day appearance for Lancashire.

The England all-rounder returned from a knee injury against Durham last week and is set to play in the Championship clash with Hampshire at Liverpool this week as he fights to gain full match fitness ahead of the Ashes series with Australia which is just three weeks away.