Andrew Gale wants his Yorkshire players to be on top of their games for the seven remaining Clydesdale Bank 40 matches.

The White Rose are in pole position to secure the top spot needed in Group ‘B’ to advance to the semi-finals after five wins on the spin.

They are currently in the midst of a week’s break from Championship cricket, in which time they will have played three 40-over matches against Middlesex, Gloucestershire and the Netherlands.

They hammered Middlesex at Lord’s on Sunday, and will go in search of their sixth consecutive win at Bristol tomorrow afternoon.

Gale said: “Every game is a cup final for us from now until the end of the season. I expect every player to come in and give 110 per cent, otherwise I will not have them in my team.

“It’s a big week for us, and we want to keep our unbeaten record. It could be a defining week.

“If we can win three out of three, we will be in a great position to qualify.”

Yorkshire’s eight-wicket success in North London was their first 40-over match since May 15, a ten week break filled with a couple of four-day matches and 16 Twenty20 fixtures. Their lack of action did not show.

Gale explained: “I made a conscious effort to make sure the lads knew what had worked for us in the first half of the season (before the Middlesex game).

“If we come out of this week with two more wins, we’re sat in a great position with the likes of Middlesex to play at home and Essex to play at home.”

Yorkshire will definitely be without England bowler Ajmal Shahzad for tomorrow’s match, but he could make a late dash to link up with the squad for the Dutch trip if he is not selected for the Trent Bridge Test against Pakistan.

The Yorkshire squad do the bulk of their travelling to Rotterdam on Friday, and will return to England on Monday morning.

Tim Bresnan, however, will be available for both matches. Tino Best should take Shahzad’s place tomorrow.

Gale added: “Brez and Aj showed what they can do on Sunday.

“They give us that bit more firepower and consistency.

“Tino’s done well when he’s played, but you know exactly what you’re getting with Brez and Aj.”

Seven of the Yorkshire XI which beat Middlesex made their first appearance at Lord’s, the spiritual home of cricket, including Gale.

Should the White Rose qualify for the final, they will return to North London on September 18.

Gale added: “It was a great feeling to walk out and play at the home of cricket. It was the first time I’ve ever played there, so to come away with a win was great.

“Quite a lot of the lads had never played there before. If you’ve done well, like we did, it will hopefully give us the confidence to do it again if we go back.”

Meanwhile, Yorkshire’s board will meet later today to discuss ways of cutting costs after disappointing ticket sales for last week’s neutral Test match between Pakistan and Australia.

Job cuts may be one way, but chairman Colin Graves said: “We don’t see swingeing cuts at all, there is no alarmism here.”