THE half-way stage has now been reached in Yorkshire's Championship season and here is my mid term report and marks on how the class of '05 is bearing up.

The boys as a whole are doing reasonably well and are nicely placed just outside the top three in the division two table with a game in hand, so promotion is a distinct possibility if they can step up their workload and stay focused.

Individually, there have been some success stories and some failures but nobody has performed so badly that they should be expelled.

Tim Bresnan: Still only 20, but is already near the top of the class after an exceptional all-round showing in the first half of the season. Enjoyed career-best figures of 5-42 against Worcestershire in the last match and has now bagged 26 Championship wickets at 28.34 runs apiece to make him the most economical of the fast bowlers. Tim has also played two outstanding innings and has become a genuine all-rounder. He was also a leading light in the Twenty20 Cup, taking more wickets than anyone else and scoring useful runs. (9-10).

Ismail Dawood: Looks very much at home in the side now and has kept wicket efficiently. Often has a cool head under pressure while batting but could do with a few more runs after going eight Championship innings without getting beyond 25. (7-10).

Richard Dawson: His leadership potential stood out when he suddenly had to take over the reins from the injured Craig White and his enterprising half-century at Worcester when the chips were down resulted in a splendid victory. Lacks consistency with the bat, however, and needs to be taking more wickets now that pitches should be assisting his off-spin. (7-10).

Ian Harvey: His form has been mercurial so far this summer, hitting the heights with a brilliant career-best 209 not out against Somerset but also bagging three ducks. It was the same in the Twenty20 Cup where his breathtaking 109 against Derbyshire was Yorkshire's only century of the series. He also registered two scores in excess of 70 but sandwiched in between were consecutive innings of one, one and nought. His 16 Championship wickets are a big improvement on last year. (8-10).

Matthew Hoggard: The England fast bowler has played in far more matches than Yorkshire expected. He will want to forget the Twenty20 Cup and he will also be hoping to find a better rhythm in the Ashes Tests than he managed in the Championship but even when he wasn't taking wickets his presence in the side was felt. Had a heroic knock in the Roses match at Headingley when his stubborn 64 not out in 41 overs earned an unexpected draw and brought misery to the faces of Lancashire's expectant fans. (7-10).

Phil Jaques: Leading scorer in the Championship with 743 runs at an average of 57.15, leading scorer in the Totesport League (290 at 48.3) and second only to Harvey in the Twenty20 Cup (275 at 34.37), the Australian left-hander is earning his money once again, the only quibble being that he should have converted some of his half-centuries into even bigger scores. (9-10).

Deon Kruis: The South African, signed as a Kolpak player, has done a magnificent job in the Championship and Yorkshire would not be challenging for promotion now without his 32 wickets which is six more than any of his colleagues. He has shown guts with the bat, also, not least in the Roses match when he survived 21 nerve-tingling overs with Hoggard. (9-10).

Michael Lumb: Has once again shown that few can match the quality of his strokeplay and he is near the top of the batting averages in the totesport League with 260 runs at 43.33 but has rarely got going in the Championship with the result that he lost his place at Worcester and will have to work hard to regain it. (6-10).

Anthony McGrath: Splendid batting after a slow start in the Championship but his unbeaten knocks of 165 in the win at Leicester and 133 against Durham at Riverside were both classics. He is batting better now than when England first showed an interest in him before discarding him prematurely. (9-10).

Richard Pyrah: Made the most of his opportunities in the Twenty-20 Cup and marked his seasonal debut in the Championship at Worcester with a career-best 78 which he could have converted into a century but for an impetuous pull shot. This lad is on the up and must be persevered with. (7-10).

Joe Sayers: Limited chances but should see more of this highly rated Oxford Blue from now on. (7-10).

Chris Silverwood: Everyone was hoping that Silverwood would be back to his best after an ankle operation during the close season, but he disappointed in the opening, match at Chelmsford and has spent a lot of time trying to put things together in the Second XI. In his three Championship matches, however, he has blazed the trail with the bat, flogging 57 at Chelmsford and a match-saving 80 at Riverside. (6-10).

Michael Vaughan: The England captain has not really made the most of his few chances when allowed to play for Yorkshire but his enthusiasm for his county remains undimmed, even though he has other pressing things on his mind at the moment. (6-10).

Craig White: The captain has the respect of his players and he found the first half of the season hugely enjoyable but his gammy knee has put a bit of a dampener on things. Has hit a half-century in each of his last three Championship matches but has failed to go on to anything bigger. (7-10).

Matthew Wood: Started well with a totesport League century at the Oval and a couple of useful Championship scores but has tailed off and he could find his place vulnerable if the runs don't start to flow again. (6-10).

Updated: 09:13 Saturday, July 16, 2005