Each new season brings a different sort of challenge for Yorkshire's Huddersfield-born batsman Matthew Wood, who celebrated his 23rd birthday last week.

PREPARED: Matthew Wood

In 1998, he stood on the threshold of his first class career and wondered with apprehension how he would fare on his seasonal debut in championship cricket.

He need not have feared. He proved to be an outstanding success and this time last year he was hoping to build further on that initial golden summer, which had brought him 1,080 first class runs with three centuries and a double century.

But the game unexpectedly went sour on him and with a meagre haul of 451 runs at a pitiful average of 13.66, his second season could not come to an end quickly enough.

To his credit, Wood never let the run famine crush his spirit or dampen his enthusiasm for the game and now he is determined to make a fresh start and re-establish himself as one of the best young batting prospects in the country.

"What happened last season was a big disappointment but it has gone now and it is what happens this summer that is important," said Wood.

"I have spent the winter thinking about my game and hopefully learning from my mistakes.

"I have also made one or two adjustments to my batting and now is the time to start putting them into practice."

Wood is well prepared having spent three weeks with an MCC party in Bangladesh before going on Yorkshire's pre-season tour of Australia, where he performed with reasonable success.

When the runs dried up for Wood in the number four spot last summer, he immediately agreed to skipper David Byas' request for him to open the innings with Michael Vaughan in place of Australian Greg Blewett, who had been unable to produce the goods despite his reputation.

That experiment did not work, either, although Wood remains as willing as ever to go on opening if that is what is wanted of him.

"I probably stopped enjoying my cricket towards the end of last season because the harder I tried the worse things got," said Wood.

"But I have certainly not been frightened off opening.

"After all, that is where I learned my game and that is where I am happy to bat.

"First of all, however, I have got to concentrate on re-establishing myself in the side because I am up against a lot of strong competition and my place isn't guaranteed by any means.

"My top priorities are to score a lot of runs early on and to enjoy my cricket because both of these things are very important to me.

"Last year we were there or thereabouts in most competitions, but in the end we never quite made it.

"I am confident we have the ability to reach the top in 2000 - and I am determined to play my part in the team's successes."

see also 'Tykes slide to defeat'

'Questions need to be answered'

'Tykes tie up top stars'

'All change on penalties and points'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.