Yorkshire fans were bemused, bewildered and outraged before the start of the Durham match at Headingley on Friday when they learned that their rising star and captain, Anthony McGrath, had been pulled out of the game at England's request.

County member Brenda Smith, who travels the country with husband John watching Yorkshire through good times and bad, summed up the feelings of many when she said: "I'm absolutely seething at England.

"There is no good reason for leaving out Anthony. It's another step towards killing off county cricket.

"We were already denied seeing Michael Vaughan and Stephen Harmison in this game and the same would have applied to Matthew Hoggard had he been fit.

"We all want to see our top players get chosen for England and do well but once they represent their country these days they are as good as lost at county level and it is devaluing the Championship."

No sooner had McGrath achieved an outstanding Test debut at Lord's with 69 runs and three wickets than England began wrapping him in cotton wool and started insisting on Yorkshire arranging a scan on his slight side strain.

Although England maintained that he could have played in Yorkshire's Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy match at Worcester on Wednesday, many pundits are convinced that his new found status had something to do with his last minute withdrawal.

These feelings were strengthened the following day when, at almost exactly the time his scan showed there was nothing to worry about, Yorkshire's director of cricket Geoff Cope was getting a call from England team operations manager, Phil Neale, requesting that McGrath should be stood down against Durham.

Not so much a request as an arm twist. Cope diplomatically said he was personally disappointed that McGrath would have to miss leading his side in a very important match but the player was on the threshold of a new career and Yorkshire would do everything that England wanted to sustain it.

Yorkshire cannot take on England alone but the counties should get together and speak out strongly against this mollycoddling before it completely ruins the structure of our summer game.

The idea that McGrath should be rested was particularly ludicrous because he still desperately needs time in the middle, despite his elevation to the England ranks.

Before the Lord's Test, McGrath had played in all four of Yorkshire's Championship matches but his runs tally was still only 166 with a top score of 61 and four other batsmen in the side - Matthew Wood, Michael Vaughan, Michael Lumb and Richard Blakey - had all made considerably more runs.

When he goes out to bat in the second Test at Riverside this week, McGrath will not have faced a ball in anger for around a fortnight. How can that keep him in good form?

Bemused, bewildered and outraged also sum up Lord Mountgarret's feelings when he went for a morning cup of coffee on the committee balcony at Headingley.

The former Yorkshire president had just been greeted by Dickie Bird and had warmly accepted his invitation to join him for a chat.

"I'd be absolutely delighted, Dickie," said the Viscount, or so the story goes.

Then turning to the waitress: "One coffee please. Thank-you very much indeed."

"That's £2.50, sir."

"You what!" Followed by spluttering and unmentionable words and the prompt return of the beverage.

Trying to be consoling and sympathetic, the waitress said: "It would have been £3.50 if you'd had a biscuit with it."

Reports indicate that following a review, the price of coffee has been reduced - and a biscuit included.