Yorkshire today begin their first home Championship match in six years with Nottinghamshire, who will be making their first visit to Headingley since 1991.

The corresponding fixture in 1998 took place at Scarborough and also ended in stalemate after Tim Robinson hit 114 for Notts in their first innings and Darren Lehmann replied with a brilliant 131.

Yorkshire gained a lead of 172 and at one stage were in with a good chance of winning before the visitor's seventh wicket pair of Paul Franks and Chris Read doggedly played out the remaining overs.

Yorkshire's four-pronged pace attack that game was Darren Gough, Chris Silverwood, Paul Hutchison and Gavin Hamilton and only Silverwood remains on the staff.

He suffered a slight ankle strain over the weekend and but is expected to be fit to lead the attack today and will have a fitness test.

Silverwood is Yorkshire's joint leading wicket-taker in the Championship this season with 11 dismissals, a figure equalled by John Blain. Silverwood's victims have cost 15.81 runs apiece, Blain's have come at a far more costly 31.

One problems is that the fast bowlers have lacked bite as well as sending down far too many 'four balls' and director of cricket, David Byas, is anxious that they show more accuracy.

Not all the faults rest with the bowlers, however, and Yorkshire need more consistency from several of their batsmen, including openers Matthew Wood and captain Craig White.

Although it is still early days, Wood has yet to dominate the bowling and five innings have brought him only 101 runs. White, on a couple of occasions, has yet to convert a promising start into a substantial innings.

Unless there is an all-round improvement in the batting soon, someone is going to have to make way for Chris Taylor who has already thrashed three centuries for Bradford League club Undercliffe this season and one for Yorkshire in the game against Bradford-Leeds Universities' Centre of Excellence.

Taylor is included in the Second XI who today begin a three-day game against a combined Kent and Middlesex Second XI at Beckenham.