THE weather cleared sufficiently for Yorkshire to get in some much needed practice yesterday ahead of their opening Championship match of the season against Essex at Headingley on Wednesday.

The one-day Roses friendly at Old Trafford last Wednesday was Yorkshire's only game against county opposition in their build-up to the new season and since then rain has strictly limited their outdoor sessions.

But morale has been boosted by the arrival of their Aussie pair, Darren Lehmann and Ian Harvey, who should ensure that Yorkshire will give the Essex bowling attack a testing time.

New signing John Blain from Northamptonshire is preferred in Yorkshire's squad of 12 to Young England paceman, Tim Bresnan, while batsman Chris Taylor has secured his place after hitting 150 against Bradford-Leeds Universities recently and then following up with 120 for Bradford League club Undercliffe at the weekend.

Although Darren Gough's late selection for England's one-day series in the Caribbean has put paid to what would have been a fascinating showdown against his native county, Yorkshire are clearly relieved that he is not in the Essex side.

Gough throughout his career has made a habit of grabbing the headlines and there was always the fear at the back of Yorkshire's minds that he would pull off something sensational to remind the home fans of just what they were now missing.

It is also very much to Yorkshire's advantage that Essex will be without their competitive captain, Ronnie Irani, who is still not quite ready after a knee operation at the end of last season.

Former Yorkshire all-rounder, Paul Grayson, will also be missing from Essex's line-up while he, too, recovers from knee surgery, but definitely in the squad is another Yorkshire exile, James Middlebrook, who rapped out his maiden first class century against Cambridge University last week.

Yorkshire's chaplain, the Rev Max Wigley was dedicating a seat at Headingley today in memory of cricket journalist, Rob Mills, after which the club was holding its opening lunch, the guest speaker being television personality, Richard Whiteley.

Hampshire made a winning start to their division two campaign by beating Durham by three wickets at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

Yorkshire from: Wood, White, Taylor, Lehmann, Lumb, Harvey, Craven, Guy, Silverwood, Blain, Kirby, Dawson.

Updated: 11:29 Tuesday, April 20, 2004