YORKSHIRE learned from England last night that fast bowler Matthew Hoggard will be staying with the Test squad at Headingley.

The young pace bowler was therefore not available for the Tykes' crucial PPP healthcare Championship match against Leicestershire which began at Grace Road today.

It meant that more than ever, Yorkshire were looking to their young bloods to see them through a challenging encounter which could have an important bearing on the title.

With Test calls on four of their senior players - Hoggard, Craig White, Michael Vaughan and Darren Gough - and injuries to two others others, second-in-the-table Yorkshire were forced to field one of their most inexperienced sides in a long while for a game they must win to stay in close contact with current championship leaders Surrey.

Only Australian Darren Lehmann, leading Yorkshire while skipper David Byas recovers from knee surgery, has played first class cricket for any great length of time and at 30 years of age he is at least five years older than anyone else in the side.

But Yorkshire's youngsters are getting used to helping out in difficult circumstances and the likes of rookie openers Vic Craven and Simon Widdup and teenage pace bowler Chris Elstub have all taken big strides forward this season.

Yorkshire cannot afford to sit back and be content with a draw in this game because they are now 11 points behind Surrey and would like to be level pegging or even in front of them when the sides meet in their next round of matches at Scarborough.

And whereas Yorkshire are certain of a tough fight from fourth placed Leicestershire, Surrey have a relatively easy fixture over the next few days against Derbyshire at The Oval.

Yorkshire know they must give a much better account of themselves than at Grace Road last year when they were fired out for 52, their lowest score in the Championship since making 43 against Surrey in 1973.

Darren Maddy then plundered an unbeaten 158 to become the first Leicestershire player to carry his bat against Yorkshire since the exiled Willie Watson did it in 1959.

Chris Silverwood, who last year dashed from the England camp at Edgbaston to take his place in Yorkshire's side shortly before lunch on the first day when they stood on 51 for eight, yesterday had a scan on his inflamed knee and was relieved to discover that there is no serious injury.

Pace bowler Silverwood was able to practice at Grace Road yesterday afternoon and was keen to get through the match on anti-inflammatory tablets, but a decision on whether to play him or not was not being taken until shortly before the toss.

Today's cricket

PPP healthcare County Championship

1st day of 4

Division One, Leicester: Leicestershire v Yorkshire; Taunton: Somerset v Durham; The Oval: Surrey v Derbyshire.

Division Two, Colchester: Essex v Gloucestershire; Cardiff: Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire; Eastbourne: Sussex v Northants.

Norwich Union NCL

Division Two, Edgbaston: Warwicks v Middlesex (4.10).

PICTURE: THE FOUR YORKSHIREMEN: Matthew Hoggard, Craig White, Michael Vaughan and darren Gough line-up for England to take on the West Indies in the fourth Test at Headingley tomorrow