YORK open their new cricket season with a double header in East Yorkshire this weekend.

Tomorrow they begin their Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier League campaign at Driffield before taking their first steps on the road to Lord's with a National Knockout Cup game at Beverley the following day.

York will be pinning their hopes on more or less the same squad which finished ninth last summer as they chase their first league crown since 1988.

A lack of consistency in the batting department cost the young York side dear last year and that is something skipper/wicketkeeper Nigel Durham will be hoping to instil into his side.

Marcus Wood is poised to open the batting with Simon Mason with Mike Mortimer, Nick Kay, Nash Stone and RAF Linton pilot Dave Caplow making up the bulk of the runs.

All-rounder Greg How is likely to be available for more games after work took him out of the area a lot last season.

Australian Stone, now in his third season at Clifton Park, is a genuine all-rounder and will be fit to bowl from the off. Injury during the early part of the 2001 season meant he was only able to bowl for the second half of last season but still picked up 49 wickets.

His partner in attack will be Rich Gilbert, whose brother, Chris, plays for the Yorkshire Academy side.

Highly-rated young spinner Tom Pringle will be looking to maintain his excellent progress of last term, while York have added Ben Quick from Knaresborough.

Former York batsman Alexis Twigg, who lives in Tadcaster, has switched to Harrogate from Sheffield United. Town also boast a new skipper, Mike Stanford, who is in his second spell at St George's Road.

In a quirk of fate Twigg will line-up against his former team-mates from the Steel City in first match for the perennial title challengers on Saturday.

And Stanford, who has joined from Follifoot to replace John Proud, can't wait for the first ball.

"I'm really looking forward to getting started now," he said. "I had four years at Harrogate from the age of 19 to 23, so it is good to be back.

"We've got a good chance this year and have the core of a great side."

The Harrogate side will be built around last season's leading Yorkshire League bowler and wicketkeeper, Dave Pennett and Ryan Bradshaw, while ex-Yorkshire opener John Inglis will be one to watch when wielding the willow.

Veteran bowler Peter Hepworth will continue with his unique style of off-spin.

Added to the side will be Pakistan all-rounder Khalid Hussain-Butt, who has spent three seasons playing in Hong Kong, and Bradford/Leeds Universities' batsman Andy Siddal, from Aire/Wharfe League side Beckwithshaw.

However, the club's hopes to sign Yorkshire's much-vaunted spinner Andy Gray have fallen through after Harrogate found out the Aussie has another year to go before he claim residency and not count as an overseas player.

Scarborough also have a new man at the helm, 22-year-old batsman Darren Harland, who takes over from Mark Cowell.

The North Marine Road side will look to veteran off-spinner Chris Clifford, who will pass the age of 60 during the course of the summer, to play a key part of their attack.

The Seasiders will however be without Yorkshire's former Harrogate batsman Vic Craven, who spent last season at the club, after his move to the Bradford League with Pudsey Congs.

But the club have recruited the services of Clint Heron from Australia.

There will be a strong Aussie influence this season with eight clubs in total looking to Down Under for their overseas signings.

The most interesting will be that of Simon Katich at Yorkshire Academy. Katich will provide cover for the full Yorkshire side in the event of injury or the unavailability of skipper Darren Lehmann.

There will also be a few familiar faces with the return of Pieter Swanepoel, Amit Dani and Rod Gibbs to Sheffield United, Hull and Driffield.

Updated: 11:56 Friday, April 26, 2002