PETER Moores is viewing tonight’s trip to face Somerset at Taunton in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition as an acid test of how well his youngsters are progressing.

The Lancashire coach is wary of the threat posed by Marcus Trescothick’s men, who were beaten in Saturday’s domestic Twenty20 final.

But the Lightning have won two of their last three 40-over fixtures, despite the likes of Glen Chapple, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mark Chilton being rested because there is no longer anything but pride to play for in Group A.

“Taunton’s a tough place to go and play,” Moores said. “It’s not a place for the faint-hearted when you’re a bowler because of people like Trescothick.

“But, if we can go there and get a really good win, it will be a feather in our cap.”

With Lancashire still in with an outside chance in the LV County Championship title race Moores will continue to give the likes of Karl Brown and Luke Procter a run in the one-day side, which will be captained by Chapple and will also feature Gary Montgomeries, a leftarm seamer who could make his debut.

“We have made a decision that we want to give an opportunity to some other people,” he added.

“I think it needed freshening up, it needed a bit of a change around. It also gives an opportunity to those younger players to show us what they’ve got, whether they’ve got what it takes to go on and play first team cricket in all formats.”

Brown, formerly of Atherton, hit 56 in a one-day friendly against West Indies A last month, and has followed that up with knocks of 65, 17 and 32 at the top of the order against the ECB Unicorns, Sussex and Glamorgan in the CB40.

Left hander Procter, aged 22, hit 97 against the West Indians, while also taking two wickets with his right-arm medium pace.

He has also taken three wickets in two 40-over matches against the Unicorns and Glamorgan.

“It was quite exciting last week against Glamorgan that we had nine or 10 lads who’ve come through our youth system,” Moores said.

“Not that it’s the only goal, but it’s quite promising that they’re the sort of players who played well.”

Somerset are top of the group having won seven out of seven.