He may not be one of the star names of Colchester and East Essex's line-up, but Nick Gibbs will be sorely missed this weekend, according to stand-in skipper Julian Russell.

Medium-pacer and lower order hitter Gibbs, who played for England under-19s, is unavailable for tomorrow's trip to Hainault and Clayhall as Colchester go in search of their first premier division victory of the season.

It is testament to Gibbs, now 34, that Colchester's bowling attack appears to be lacking an extra edge when he is absent.

His control made him Colchester's top wicket-taker in the league last season and he has begun the season in fine form.

And Russell, acting skipper once again with Andrew Kennedy away, said Gibbs should never be underestimated with the ball in his hand.

He told the Gazette: "Gibbsy may appear a little inoccuous these days, coming off a short run, but when the ball comes out of his hand it is doing all sorts.

"He gets good players out, bowls long, accurate spells and can always be relied upon to slow the opposition down when they are scoring at a decent rate.

"We will certainly miss him as there has barely been an occasion I've seem him bowl badly and he is also a top slip fielder - when the ball comes his way it sticks.

"Of course, we have plenty of bowling in the side, but Gibbsy has been our main man for the past year.

"With the grounds still not quite drying out, he is a menace, the ball wobbling around in the air and off the pitch."

Colchester will know plenty about Hainault, having beaten them in the Cockspur National Knockout Cup on Sunday - by the tighest of margins.

The match was won by virtue of Colchester losing less wickets.

"It was as exciting as anything I have known," said Russell.

"It's great to play in close matches, but this one was something else - it really made the heart pump hard and hopefully we can play another exciting game against a side who know how to chase a big score."

The Castle Park side are awaiting confirmation of Graham Napier's availability.

He has been captaining Essex second XI against Middlesex seconds this week and is almost certain to be playing for the Essex Eagles against Surrey Brown Caps in the Friends Provident Trophy on Sunday.

Colchester's second XI are also seeking their first win in the second XI premier division.

They are at home to Hainault and Clayhall, with former first-team stars Chris Wheeler and Glen Bolton back in action.