Yorkshire Cricket from David Warner

Yorkshire were missing three of their top players in the championship match against Hampshire at Headingley today when they were forced to go into the game without Australian Darren Lehmann, Craig White and Darren Gough.

Heavy overnight rain caused the start to be delayed, however, and there was little prospect of much play during the morning session on yet another distinctly cool and overcast day.

Lehmann is still suffering severe nausea attacks following a back injection last week, White is visiting hospital for a scan on his bad back and Gough remains sidelined after breaking his right index finger while batting in the first Test at Edgbaston.

Although Lehmann's injection has freed him from back pain, he was unwell with side effects during the Benson and Hedges Cup semi-final match against Essex on Tuesday and is being forced to rest up from this important game which Yorkshire need to win to get back on track.

White's absence is probably a bigger blow to Yorkshire than Gough's because the former England all-rounder is currently sitting on top of the national first class bowling averages with 25 wickets at under 14 runs apiece.

Ironically, Yorkshire expected to find themselves up against their old warhorse Peter Hartley who left for Hampshire at the end of last season when the club refused to re-engage the veteran paceman because they said the money they would save would help keep a couple of the younger fast bowlers on the staff.

It was a decision which upset skipper David Byas who wanted to keep Hartley in reserve for exactly the circumstances which have now arisen and his inclusion today would have taken some of the sting out of their injury crisis.Hartley is in good form, having helped Hampshire get off the mark in the championship by taking four for 77 in their recent win over title holders Glamorgan.

He also captured three for 38 in last Sunday's AXA League win over the Welshmen which pushed Hampshire into a challenging sixth spot in the table, four points behind second placed Yorkshire but with a game in hand. Bradley Parker and Ryan Sidebottom come in for Lehmann and White with Sidebottom's only previous championship appearance being at Grace Road last year when he took three for 71 in the rain-hit draw with Leicestershire.

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