YORKSHIRE today began their first home Championship match in six years with Nottinghamshire who were making their first visit to Headingley since 1991 when the game ended in a draw.
The corresponding fixture in 1998 took place at Scarborough and also ended in stalemate after Tim Robinson had hit 114 for Nottinghamshire in their first innings and Darren Lehmann had replied with a brilliant 131.
Yorkshire gained a lead of 172 and at one stage were in with a good chance of winning before Nottinghamshire's seventh wicket pair of Paul Franks and Chris Read doggedly played out the remaining overs.
Yorkshire's four-pronged pace attack in that game was Darren Gough, Chris Silverwood, Paul Hutchison and Gavin Hamilton and of the quartet only Silverwood remains on the staff.
He suffered a slight ankle strain over the weekend and was expected to be fit to lead the attack today but will have a fitness test shortly before the start.
Silverwood is Yorkshire's joint leading wicket-taker in the Championship this season with 11 dismissals, a figure equalled by John Blain, but whereas each of Silverwood's victims has cost him 15.81 runs Blain's have come at a far more costly 31 runs apiece.
One of Yorkshire's problems at the moment is that their fast bowlers have generally lacked bite as well as sending down far too many 'four balls' and director of cricket David Byas is anxious that they show more accuracy against Notts.
Not all the faults rest with the bowlers, however, and Yorkshire need more consistency from several of their batsmen, including openers Matthew Wood and captain Craig White.
Although it is still early days, Wood has yet to dominate the bowling and five innings have brought him only 101 runs. White on a couple of occasions has set off like an express train but has not yet managed to convert a promising start into a substantial innings.
Unless there is an all-round improvement in the batting soon, someone is going to have to make way for Chris Taylor who has already thrashed three centuries for Bradford League club Undercliffe this season and one for Yorkshire in the game against Bradford-Leeds Universities' Centre of Excellence.
Taylor is currently included in the Second XI who today began a three-day game against a combined Kent and Middlesex Second XI at Beckenham.
Steve Kirby was also in the side again and working on his fitness after an injection for a back injury.
Yorkshire Seconds from: Taylor, Gale, Pyrah, Craven, Blakey, Gray, Bachelor, Gilbert, Lawson, Kirby, Conway, Anderson.
TODAY'S CRICKET
Frizzell County Championship - Division One
(day 1 of 4)
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Kent
The Brit Oval: Surrey v Middlesex
Horsham: Sussex v Warwickshire
New Road: Worcestershire 396-2 (G A Hick 183no, B F Smith 166no) v Gloucestershire
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire v Somerset
Riverside: Durham v Glamorgan
Chelmsford: Essex v Leicestershire
Headingley: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire
Other Match
Bradford: Bradford/Leeds UCCE v Lancashire
The Rose Bowl: Hampshire v Cardiff UCCE
Updated: 11:05 Wednesday, May 19, 2004
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