SOMERSET spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach have been named in the England Lions squad for this winter's tour to Australia.

Both had successful seasons in the County Championship, with Leach taking 51 wickets at 25.78 and Bess claiming 36 scalps at 23.42, and the pair now have the opportunity to display their talents with the Lions set up.

There was a widespread feeling that Leach was unfortunate not to make the senior England squad alongside his Somerset teammate Craig Overton, but the 26-year-old will be in Australia and available to be drafted in should Moeen Ali or Mason Crane pick up an injury.

READ MORE: 'Surely he's done enough?' Botham shocked by Leach omission

Bess, meanwhile, continues to mature as an all-round cricketer and also scored his maiden First Class half century this season.

The Lions will spend a week at the ECB Performance Centre in Loughborough before flying to Brisbane on November 14, for a two-week camp with a red-ball focus culminating in a three-day match against a Queensland XI at the Allan Border Oval from November 27-29 – although this will not be an official England Lions fixture.

They then head west to Perth for two weeks focusing on white-ball skills during which they will play three T20 matches against a Scorchers team who will be preparing for the Big Bash.

Lions: Dom Bess (Somerset), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Paul Coughlin (Durham/Nottinghamshire), Alex Davies (Lancashire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), George Garton (Sussex), Nick Gubbins (Middlesex), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Keaton Jennings (Durham/Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Porter (Essex), Amar Virdi (Surrey), Tom Westley (Essex), Mark Wood (Durham).

Elsewhere, three Somerset youngsters - Tom Banton, Tom Lammonby and Fin Trenouth - are in the Young Lions squad for a tri-series in South Africa before the Christmas looking ahead to Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in the New Year.

The outgoing coach of the Young Lions, Andy Hurry, was today announced as Somerset's new director of cricket - read more here.