Murray Goodwin can't wait to resume his prolific partnership with Richard Montgomerie when Sussex launch the new season at the Oval tomorrow.

Goodwin has returned to Hove hoping to emulate his achievements last summer when he scored 2,465 runs including eight centuries in his first season as the county's overseas player.

He also brought the best out of Montgomerie who made 2,311 runs with eight hundreds. The pair formed the most productive opening partnership in the country with a record-breaking stand of 372 against Nottinghamshire the highlight.

"If I can emulate what I achieved last year then I will be very happy," said Goodwin, who arrived on Monday with wife Tarsha and new baby son Jayden who was born during the winter.

He added: "Monty and I had a great season but we both know that it's going to be tougher this year.

"I spoke to Mike Atherton when we played Lancashire last year and he said there wasn't a great deal of difference between the two divisions except that in Division One most of the teams have a bit more depth.

"But that is the challenge. You assume sides like Surrey and Yorkshire have good players and that you need to play consistently well to beat them."

Goodwin is confident of performing well even though, for the second winter running, he lost his place in the Western Australia team.

The 29-year-old averaged 34.41 in the Pura Cup, Australia's equivalent of the Championship, and finished above Simon Katich and Mike Hussey, who are playing for Yorkshire and Northants this season, in the state's averages.

"I was quite happy with my form and I still am," he added. "When I got dropped I was averaging nearly 40, but they told me I wasn't scoring enough runs in club cricket which was a huge surprise.

"But I'm here now and I've got to prove to myself that I can do another good job for Sussex. I believe that if I do then the team will do well too."