THERE was more misery for Yorkshire today as they slumped to 41 for four after winning the toss against Sussex on their first-ever Championship visit to idyllic Arundel but Darren Lehmann and Vic Craven then helped them on to 68 without further mishap.

The County Champions went into the game looking for their first win of the season after losing five of their six games so far.

Flags were flying at half mast as a mark of respect for the Duke of Norfolk who died two days ago at the age of 86, the Arundel ground being part of the Duke's estate.

There was drama in both the Yorkshire and Sussex camps before the game began.

Yorkshire, already without paceman Steve Kirby who has a back strain, were further hit when Chris Silverwood had to pull out after nets with the ankle problem which has been bothering him for the past few days.

This meant that Bradford-Leeds Universities' captain Chris Elstub, who plays for Spen Victoria, came in for his first Championship game in two years and off-spinner Andy Gray, the former Wilberfoss player, made his first appearance of the season in the competition.

Sussex paceman James Kirtley, who grabbed ten wickets against Yorkshire at Headingley the week before last, is in the England squad for the NatWest Series, and his place was taken by former Yorkshire seamer Mark Robinson, now Second XI coach with his adopted county.

Sussex also had regular captain Chris Adams back after a knee operation which had kept him out since May 20.

On a fine summer's day, Billy Taylor opened up with a maiden to White before Matthew Wood and White each took a single off Robin Martin-Jenkins.

White played Martin-Jenkins into the covers for two and Wood hammered him through the same area for the day's first four but Yorkshire's first wicket went down at only 12 in the seventh over, White edging Taylor low to gully where Murray Goodwin held on to a good catch to his right.

The dismissal brought in Anthony McGrath, who has been promoted to the No 3 spot with Michael Lumb moving down a couple of places, and the Bradford-born batsman was soon off the mark with a single to mid-on.

Robinson joined the attack in place of Martin-Jenkins after nine overs and he immediately dropped on a good length, wicketkeeper Matt Prior standing up to the stumps to the Yorkshireman.

Wood drove Taylor for three to move it on to 20-1 but it was the bowlers who were on top and and three wickets in 12 balls at a cost of eight runs left Yorkshire reeling on 41-4.

Having spent 37 deliveries making 12, Wood was brilliantly caught at second slip by Mike Yardy off Martin-Jenkins who had switched ends and then Robinson got in on the act with wickets off the first and last balls of the next over. He had McGrath caught by Yardy, apparently from a deflection off the wicketkeeper's gloves, and Lumb fell lbw shouldering arms.

Skipper Lehmann, who had got moving with consecutive boundaries off Martin-Jenkins when he came in at 33 -2, was joined by Vic Craven and the two left-handers had an enormous amount of work to do. Lehmann did the lion's share of the scoring but Craven also contributed a boundary with a good shot through mid-wicket.

Updated: 16:24 Wednesday, June 26, 2002