Blackwell took 26 County Championship wickets last season (Getty Images)

Somerset all-rounder Ian Blackwell is excited by the challenges top-level cricket will pose to his team.

"I think the First Division is going to be a lot tougher. We're not going to win 10 games this year, which we did last year," he told BBC Somerset.

Somerset won Division Two of the County Championship last season, and were also promoted into the Pro40 top flight.

"We've got a great squad here and we're looking forward to pushing on for the First Division title," Blackwell added.

"We're looking forward to playing against the best teams in the country and, obviously, performing at our best to compete with them."