Who's who in top flight cricket in Scotland
Captain: Neil MacRae Professional: Michael Parlane (New Zealand)
Prospects: Will do well to match last season's double-winning heroics.
CARLTON
Captain: Fraser Watts
Professional: None
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Hide AdProspects: Have the strength in depth to make a sustained challenge.
CLYDESDALE
Captain: Harmanjit Singh
Professional: Kamran Sajid (Pakistan)
Prospects: Should improve on last season's mid-table position.
DUNFERMLINE
Captain: Gowtham Rai
Professional: Alastair Gray (South Africa)
Prospects: Shrewd signings will help new boys settle in premier division.
FORFARSHIRE
Captain: Ryan Watson (pictured right)
Professional: Kelby Pickering (Australia)
Prospects: Unlikely to challenge for the title on their return to top flight.
GRANGE
Captain: Sanjay Patel
Professional: Warren McSkimming (NZ)
Prospects: Favourites to win back the title.
GREENOCK
Captain: Kevin McLaren (pictured right)
Professional: None
Prospects: Big name departures mean they could struggle.
UDDINGSTON
Captain: Ricky Bawa
Professional: Batepola Priyadarshana (Sri Lanka)
Prospects: May lack the all-round quality to challenge for the title.
WATSONIANS
Captain: Steve Paige
Professional: Tim Weston (NZ)
Prospects: New signings make the Myreside men potential dark horses.
WEST OF SCOTLAND
Captain: Ian Young
Professional: Leighton Burrt (NZ)
Prospects: Another solid season in prospect after last year's third place for West.
NATIONAL ACADEMY
FOR the third year, the premier division of the SNCL has been expanded to include a team of young cap prospects.
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Hide AdPreviously competing as Scotland U19s, the team has this year been re-styled as the National Academy, a change which gives coach Craig Wright greater flexibility of selection, accommodating players up to the age of 21, and will help fill a "black hole" that previously saw some youngsters fall off the representative radar.
Wright said: "In the past some players have graduated from the U19s and found themselves with nowhere to go because they were not quite ready for the senior Scotland team. The Academy set-up will help fill that black hole and give players more opportunity to develop."
Wright's Academy team will play all ten top flight sides once, with their matches counting towards the overall percentages in the league table.
The U19s won three games in their first season and five last year and Wright said: "We have proved we can beat the top sides on a regular basis and I'm sure we will continue to be competitive."