Former Somerset CCC all-rounder Keith Parsons will be plotting to turn over his old club twice this season.

Taunton-born Parsons has been named as captain of the Unicorns – the name for the newly-formed Minor Counties side.

They will play in the new Clydesdale Bank 40 – the new 40-over competition that will mirror last season's Pro40 but with semi-finals en route to a Lord's final on September 18.

The Unicorns are in Somerset's group along with Sussex, Surrey, Lancashire, Glamorgan and Essex.

Parsons played for Somerset between 1992 and 2007, earning a reputation as a highly effective finisher in the one-day game.

With his medium-pace bowling and middle-order batting, he was a key part of the Somerset team that won the Twenty20 Cup at the Oval in 2005.

Since then he has made only fleeting appearances for the county, appearing largely for Taunton St Andrews, who won the West of England Premier League title last summer, and his adopted minor county Cornwall.

Parsons will be joined in the Unicorns' side by a pair of recent Gloucestershire players.

Wicketkeeper Steve Adshead, who was released by the Glo'sters at the end of last season, has been nominated for selection.

Earlier this month he signed to play Minor Counties cricket for Herefordshire.

Also featuring will be all-rounder Mark Hardinges, who played for the Nevil Road club with success in one-day cricket up to September 2008.

Hardinges turned out for Buckinghamshire last year, as well as playing in some one-day games for Essex.

The Unicorns visit Taunton on Sunday, May 8 before the return fixture on August 8 at the Maer Ground in Exmouth, Devon.

The Unicorns have no fixed ground of their own and instead will be a travelling side, playing their 'home' matches at venues relatively close to the away county in a bid to attract decent crowds.