YORKSHIRE are keeping fingers tightly crossed that there is a big improvement in their fast bowling when they open their defence of the County Championship against favourites Surrey at Headingley tomorrow.

New skipper Darren Lehmann is the only addition to the team which yesterday crushed the Universities but he must have had serious reservations over whether to include Gavin Hamilton who is really struggling to get anywhere near hitting the target.

Lehmann admitted that the bowling so far "looked underdone" but he hoped they had got the kinks out of their armour before taking on Surrey.

"They are a good side and we would have preferred to have played them later on and with a full squad to choose from but at least we are taking them on at home and they never like batting at Headingley," he said.

Although concerned about some of the bowling, Lehmann was impressed with how Scott Richardson and Michael Lumb had batted against the Universities when each hit 121.

"Richardson put up his hands at just the right time and Lumb confirmed what we already know - that he has got lots of talent and is a class player who should go a lot further in the game."

Yorkshire always knew the opener against Surrey would be hard but had perhaps not appreciated just how tough it is likely to be.

Darren Gough, Craig White and Anthony McGrath are all missing out because of injuries while Surrey come fresh from their ten wicket mauling of Sussex which has got their Championship challenge off to the perfect start.

Former Yorkshire captain, David Byas, now with Lancashire, will be keeping a particularly close watch on how the game goes because it was coach Wayne Clark's decision to rest Lehmann from the Surrey game at The Oval last season which caused a rift between Byas and the two Australians.

Yorkshire had just beaten Glamorgan to make sure of the Championship and Byas wanted to field a full-strength side against Surrey in the hope that they would beat the 'Brown Hats' and send them tumbling into the Second Division.

But Lehmann and others were allowed to rest and Yorkshire plunged to a humiliating defeat by an innings and 46 runs with Surrey going on to avoid relegation.

Yorkshire from: Wood, Richardson, Lumb, Lehmann, Taylor, Fellows, Hamilton, Blakey, Sidebottom, Silverwood, Kirby, Dawson.

Surrey from: Butcher, Ward, Ramprakash, Stewart, Brown, Shahid, Azhar Mahmood, Tudor, Bicknell, Ormond, Giddins, Carberry.

Updated: 09:06 Tuesday, April 23, 2002