WORCESTERSHIRE all-rounder Joe Leach believes the current competition for places is the most intense during his time at New Road and said: “It’s a wonderful position for us to be in as a squad.”

Leach, who was a member of the Worcestershire squad on their pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi, feels very few places in the starting eleven are guaranteed.

He will be battling it out with the likes of fit-again Gareth Andrew, Ross Whiteley and the emerging Ed Barnard for an all-rounder spot.

Leach, who has recently returned from playing in Australia during the winter, said: “The competition for places, I don’t think it’s something we’ve had like now while I’ve been here.

“I wouldn’t want to be in Mitch (skipper Daryl Mitchell) and Bumpy’s (director of cricket Steve Rhodes) shoes at the moment trying to write down the side which is good.

“I think pre-season will shape the side and it’s up to the players to take their chances.

“There are maybe only three or four spots in the team guaranteed, maybe even less than that with Moeen not being here.

“That’s a wonderful position for us to be in as a squad and as a side really.”

Leach added: “You want guys in the second team putting real pressure on guys in the first team by scoring big hundreds and taking five wickets and putting in consistent performances.

“I think you will probably see that happen this year because guys who are 14th, 15th, 16th in our squad are good enough to play in our first eleven.

“That is exactly what you need.”

Meanwhile, Colin Munro has passed 500 runs in the Plunket Shield this season with Auckland but his side have lost ground in the leadership battle after going down by four wickets to Otago in Dunedin.

Worcestershire’s NatWest T20 Blast player for 2015 is lying third in the Auckland batting averages in the four-day competition with 502 runs from 13 innings at an average of 38.61.

He has scored one century and three fifties, has a strike rate of 89.32 and has struck 18 of his team’s 38 sixes in the Plunket Shield.

But Auckland have dropped down to joint third spot after collecting just four points to Otago’s 19.

They are level on 70 points with Northern District with Otago one point better off and current title holders Canterbury leading the way on 84 points.

Munro experienced a rare double failure against Otago, scoring three and 14, as Auckland set Otago a target of 256 which they knocked off in only 38.3 overs. He held onto two first innings catches including one to dismiss top scorer Michael Bracewell for 126.

Auckland will next be in action against visiting Wellington starting today and have a total of three more games remaining.

Munro will then link up with Worcestershire in mid-May in time for the opening T20 Blast match away to Birmingham Bears.

He finished as the County’s second highest scorer in the competition behind skipper Daryl Mitchell.