THE Championship draw with Durham this week marked the half-way stage of Yorkshire's season which is an appropriate time to monitor how the team and its individuals are progressing with their 'work'.

At the start of the season, they would happily have settled for second place in the newly structured Championship table, but it is really something of a disappointment after leading the fledgling first division for so much of the campaign.

As in two other competitions, they went badly off the boil from late June onwards and their decline in the Championship began with the nine-wicket Roses defeat, followed by their stalemate with Durham - a team they should have beaten, despite the absence of Darren Gough and Craig White.

The sudden reversal in fortunes was reflected in their body language during the first two days of the Durham match but there was an obvious difference in attitude and performance on Monday following clear-the-air team meetings over the weekend.

Here is my assessment of how the players have performed from the early spring start up to midsummer time and the Championship meeting with Durham.

THE TEAM

Michael Vaughan: Started the season as England's outstanding young prospect and has enhanced his reputation even further since then, his defiant innings at Lord's being a major factor in the defeat of the West Indies.

Had to retire hurt on 155 with a broken hand in Yorkshire's opening game against Derbyshire, but hit 94 on his return at Riverside and made Durham suffer again at Headingley this week with a cool 118.

Richard Blakey: Has done the job required of him on his promotion to No 3 by generally sticking to the crease like a limpet, but whether this has a stifling effect on the early batting or settles it down is open to debate, particularly in one-day matches.

Has consistently held catches behind the stumps, despite playing with a broken finger for a while, but some of his work has been a shade untidy of late.

Darren Lehmann: Continues to prove himself to be the best overseas signing that Yorkshire have ever made with batting of the highest quality, even taking into account a recent blip in form by his own standards.

No doubting his class against Durham when his second innings 136 took him to 712 Championship runs at an average of 64.72.

Matthew Wood: Looked to have got over last season's disappointments with an unbeaten century against Derbyshire in the opening match but has not done himself justice since.

Anthony McGrath: Keyhole surgery on his back caused him to miss most of the first half of the season, but now that he's regained his place he's reminding the fans what a good player he is.

Craig White: A combination of injury, illness and England calls has limited his Yorkshire appearances and when he has played he's done hardly anything with the bat.

Took a hat-trick against Kent Spitfires in the National League at Headingley and turned in some good bowling stints in the B&H, but has done little to show that England's faith in him is completely justified.

Gary Fellows: In his own quiet way has played some useful innings, particularly in coloured-clothing matches, but needs a really big score under his belt to show that he has well and truly arrived.

Has not been given enough bowling opportunities.

Gavin Hamilton: Had bounced back well from last winter's disastrous tour of South Africa with England and was Yorkshire's leading bowler both in first class and one-day matches until going down with a side strain against Durham which will keep him out for a couple of weeks.

Darren Gough: Limited appearances because of his England calls but has often bowled with gusto when available, capturing 16 wickets in three Championship outings, nine in two NatWest games, eight in the B&H and four in the National League.

Prefers to be called Rhino these days "because I am as strong as an ox!"

Ryan Sidebottom: Better in the Championship than in one-day matches at the moment and in the last two games at Headingley against Kent and Durham has scooped an amazing 16 wickets at a cost of 6.81 runs apiece.

Paul Hutchison: Has still not convinced Yorkshire that his new run-up is permanently sorted out and is currently playing second fiddle to Sidebottom, which must be worrying for him.

Chris Silverwood: Bad start to the season through being out with a heel injury and he showed on his return that he is still one of the fastest bowlers in the country but he is not at his best yet.

Matthew Hoggard: Meteoric rise to fame with Test debut at Lord's and he has undoubtedly a big future ahead of him, but has not bowled as accurately or as aggressively in recent games as he did at the start of the season when the England hierarchy suddenly became aware of his existence.

James Middlebrook: Another unfussy player but a first rate attitude to professional cricket and he has bowled well in Championship and one-day cricket - apart from when Northamptonshire's David Sales got at him.

Has also made useful runs and greatly impressed when he took on the role of emergency opener against Kent in Vaughan's temporary absence, scoring a defiant 18 in 33 overs, runs that helped Yorkshire go on to win the match.