England all-rounder Craig White will be used as a bowler for the first time this season in Yorkshire's Championship match against Somerset which starts at Taunton tomorrow.

And reserve wicketkeeper Simon Guy will make his first Championship appearance of the summer, though Richard Blakey will retain his place in the side purely as a batsman.

White has also been used solely as a batsman since returning to the team following his pre-season operation to remove a piece of rib bone.

Now, however, he has recovered sufficiently to be used as the fourth seamer and director of cricket Geoff Cope said he was delighted that White will be able to bat and bowl at Taunton.

"Craig will certainly strengthen our attack and it is another important step forward that he can bowl although we will have to wait and see how many overs he will be able to get through," said Cope.

Rotherham-born Guy, 24, who now lives in Darlington, made his Championship debut in 2000 but his last appearance was against Surrey at The Oval in September, 2001, shortly after Yorkshire had clinched the title.

Since then he has not been able to displace Blakey but at the start of this season he was promised that he would be given some games.

"We have now got a run of ten Champion-ship matches up to the end of the season and we need to take a look at Simon to see how he is progressing at first class level," said Cope.

"He has been keeping well with the Seconds and now needs to maintain that form in the first team.

"Richard is aware of the situation and is happy with it but he knows that he has to score runs consistenly in order to keep his place as a batsman."

In another surprise move, off-spinner Andy Gray is preferred to his slow bowling team-mate Richard Dawson, who played for England in last winter's Ashes series.

Gray has recently been chosen ahead of Dawson in one-day games and Cope said he was also first choice for tomorrow's match.

Yorkshire have announced that fast bowler Chris Silverwood is to be given a benefit by the county next year.

Silverwood, 28, made his county debut almost exactly ten years ago and was capped in 1996, since when he has played in six Test matches for England and seven one-day internationals.

Yorkshire (v Somerset): from Wood, Fleming, White, Lumb, Yuvraj, Blakey, Guy, Gray, Silverwood, Sidebottom, Kirby, Bresnan.

Yorkshire's Michael Lumb has won £1,500 in prize-money for being the top six hitter in the group stages of the Twenty20 Cup competition. Lumb included 13 sixes in his total of 147 runs and he was followed in the big-hitting stakes by Gloucestershire's Craig Spearman with 11 sixes.

Updated: 11:15 Thursday, June 26, 2003