VICTORY for Yorkshire in their PPP healthcare Championship match against Kent, which begins at Headingley today, will substantially increase their lead at the top of the division one table.

Closest rivals, Lancashire, who are just one point behind their Roses rivals, have no Championship fixture this week, and Yorkshire aim to take full advantage of the game they have in hand.However, prospects of play did not look promising as Leeds was hit by persistent drizzle this morning.

Yorkshire and Lancashire are the only two sides in the division with an unbeaten record, and if Yorkshire are able to extend their sequence it will guarantee huge interest in the Roses match at Old Trafford a fortnight tomorrow.

Having lost a close match with Somerset by two wickets last week, Kent have slipped into the third relegation place and if Yorkshire beat them it will mean they have triumphed over the current bottom four clubs.

But Kent will be no pushover - particularly now all-rounder Mark Ealham is back with them on being released by England - and they are a stronger side than their present position indicates although Yorkshire held the upper hand in a tough encounter at Scarborough last year which they eventually won by five wickets.

Michael Vaughan rapped out scores in that game of 153 and 50 and he is intent on another big innings to make England rue not picking him for tomorrow's Test.

Vaughan was his usual confident self last week in scoring 94 against Durham at Riverside but England insist he still needs more time to get over the hand injury which laid him low for a month.

Chris Silverwood will be champing at the bit to get among the wickets in his first match since the opening day of the season when he damaged his Achilles heel.

SCOREBOARD

PPP healthcare County Championship

Division One

(Day 1 of 4)

Headingley: Yorkshire v Kent

Basingstoke: Leicestershire v Derbyshire

Oval: Surrey v Somerset

Division Two

Lord's: Middlesex v Notts

Northampton: Northants v Warwicks

Tour matches

Beaconsfield: England Board XI v Zimbabwe (1 day)

Liverpool: (2nd day of 4): Lancashire 352-5 (J Crawley 156, G Lloyds 83) v New Zealand 'A'