CONGRATULATIONS to Yorkshire on winning their first cricket championship since 1968.

Given the region's current sporting record - one that has Newcastle's failure in the InterToto Cup as its most recent entry - this idea of success is something of a novelty to the North-East.

As the champagne was being sprayed around Scarborough, one of the great sporting debates was beginning: how do the boys of 2001 compare with the old boys of 1968?

This is one of those great imponderables, but it is widely held that, of the 2001 side, only the Australian batsman Darren Lehmann would win a place in '68. Darren Gough might get a call up, but only because Fred Trueman was on his last legs.

But this debate must also take into account the different times today's cricketers play in. In 1968, the three-day matches took place on uncovered wickets. The rain got in and the spinners got the wickets - Raymond Illingworth and Don Wilson both claimed more than 80 victims in that season, whereas a quickie like Trueman only got half that number.

Today's Yorkshire, though, rely on pace, with five of their bowlers - Gough, Chris Silverwood, Matthew Hoggard, Ryan Sidebottom and Gavin Hamilton - having played for England.

So 1968 and 2001 are entirely different types of teams, and the comparisons are largely meaningless - but they are good entertainment when mulled over in the warm glow of victory.