DARREN Gough was taking his first few steps in York today on what he hopes will be the road to recovery in time to make his mark for England in the NatWest Series of one-day internationals with Sri Lanka and India.

The Yorkshire and England strike bowler was playing for the Academy against York in his first proper match since the second of the two operations he has undergone to repair damage to his right cartilage.

Even Gough believes it is unrealistic to expect him to be up and running in time for the opening game in the triangular tournament between England and Sri Lanka under the Trent Bridge floodlights next Thursday.

But if his knee continues to get stronger daily then he may be ready to stage his comeback in the England v Sri Lanka match at Headingley on Tuesday week - and what an attraction that would be for a Yorkshire crowd just longing to cheer one of their own sons this season.

Being the showman that he is, Gough would love to march out of the Headingley dressing room and show that he can still turn it on for the big occasion.

It's been a depressing season of inactivity for him so far and he needs to get back soon to remind everyone that Matthew Hoggard cannot always expect star billing when 'The Dazzler' is around.

Gough was full of hope in mid-April that he was recovering well from the operation on the cartilage injury which he had sustained during the last of England's one-day internationals in New Zealand.

But his comeback with Yorkshire kept having to be put off because of inflammation and swelling around his troublesome knee and eventually it was decided a second operation was necessary to clean things up.

After bowling in the nets with Yorkshire on a couple of days at Northampton this week, Gough yesterday played for Leeds under Craig White's captaincy in the Zone Six City Cricket tournament at Edgbaston, but today's Yorkshire League game at York was his first serious outing.

Gough said that all being well he expected to play for Yorkshire Seconds on Monday and Wednesday in their one-day games against Nottinghamshire at Headingley and Lancashire at Castleford.

"My aim is to have built up to full pace for these matches and I will go flat out for four overs or so if I can to test my fitness," said Gough.

"I will then have a better idea of when I will be ready to return to the England side."

The first part of Gough's rehabilitation programme after his second operation saw him flown out to Lanzarote for a week accompanied by the England Academy fitness trainer Richard Smith.

Many people will be envious of such treatment to get over cartilage trouble but Gough insisted that he had been on no holiday - although he did admit it was nice to work under the blue skies of the Canaries rather than the grey clouds of home!

"I went through a special training programme with Richard three times a day and the progress I made was astonishing," added Gough. "It has enabled me to start bowling again at least two-and-a-half-weeks sooner than would have been the case if I had not gone out there.

"It was a pioneering scheme aimed at getting back to fitness quickly and I am convinced that other players will receive similar treatment now that the benefits can be seen."

With an eye on this winter's Ashes series and then the World Cup in South Africa, Gough knows that the hard work is not going to ease off once he starts playing again.

Updated: 12:30 Saturday, June 22, 2002