Skipper David Byas will solve the problem of who should go in first with Michael Vaughan by opening the innings himself in Yorkshire's PPP Championship curtain-raiser against Derbyshire which was due to begin at Headingley today.

Yorkshire failed to get off to a good start in almost every match last season when first Australian Greg Blewett and then Matthew Wood were unable to settle into the job with Vaughan.

Byas had been hoping that someone would emerge from the pre-season tour of Australia with enough runs to stake a claim for the opener's role, but neither Wood, John Inglis nor Simon Widdup quite managed to do that.

All three were eager to make runs for the second team in their opening championship match against Durham last week but that was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Byas's decision to grasp the nettle himself means that he will need to find only one other opener instead of two when Vaughan leaves to join up with England, along with Darren Gough and Craig White who are also on central contracts.

The trio are due to join an England training camp at Taunton next Thursday, but Byas has not entirely ruled out the possibility that England coach Duncan Fletcher may feel they would get more meaningful cricket under their belts by staying with Yorkshire for the championship match with Hampshire which starts at Headingley the following day.

Richard Blakey is down to bat at No 3 in the current game after looking both solid and consistent in that position in this season's one-day matches, while Wood is expected to be given the chance to regain his form and confidence in the middle order.

Yorkshire did not figure in last week's opening round of matches which were badly affected by the weather, although Derbyshire were happy to squeeze ten points out of their game with Leicestershire to go joint top of the Division One table with Somerset.

Yorkshire (from): Byas, Vaughan, Blakey, Lehmann, White, Wood, Fellows, Hamilton, Gough, Sidebottom, Hoggard, Fisher.

Internet users can log onto the the Evening Press website

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to get updates from David Warner on Yorkshire cricket.

Lord MacLaurin has emerged as the driving force behind efforts to rid cricket of corruption by opening the sport's governing body up to financial scrutiny.

The England and Wales Cricket Board's chairman opened the International Cricket Council's emergency meeting yesterday by demanding that all 18 delegates sign a declaration which denied any financial interest in the sport and gave the ICC the authority to investigate their private and business accounts.

MacLaurin believes the declaration will re-establish the integrity of those ruling the game and give them the mandate to begin a thorough investigation into match-fixing and illegal betting.

Today's cricket

PPP healkthcare County Championship (day 1 of 4), Division One, Headingley: Yorkshire v Derbyshire, Old Trafford: Lancashire v Leicestershire, Southampton: Hampshire v Somerset.

Division Two, Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Glamorgan, Lord's: Middlesex v Northamptonshire, Chelmsford: Essex v Nottinghamshire.

Vodafone Challenge (day 1 of 4), Canterbury: Kent v Zimbabwe.

Other match (day 1 of 3), Bristol: Gloucestershire v Oxford Universities.