Debutant Claydon off to a flyer

YORKSHIRE'S fast bowling debutant, Mitch Claydon, struck with his 12th delivery at Trent Bridge yesterday when the Championship match against Nottinghamshire finally got started after tea on the second day.

But only 14 overs were possible before bad light ended play with Nottinghamshire on 69 for one after Yorkshire had put them in to bat.

Australian-born Claydon dismissed Notts skipper, Jason Gallian, when he flirted outside offstump and was caught behind by another Yorkshire debutant, Gerard Brophy, signed during the close season from Northamptonshire.

Claydon bowled at a lively pace and lived up to his pre-season promise but his new-ball partner, Tim Bresnan, was off-target and Darren Bicknell took 12 runs off him in one over. Bicknell had reached 27 at the close and the fluent Russell Warren was on 29.

Australia's Test hero, Jason Gillespie, will probably be flung straight into the Yorkshire team on Sunday in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy match with Derbyshire at Headingley.

The fiery pace bowler, who made international headlines earlier this week when scoring a double century for Australia against Bangladesh, is now expected to arrive at Heathrow tomorrow afternoon and then make his way on to Headingley.

"I will speak to Jason about any possible travel weariness but I have included him in the squad and I think he will be very keen to get going, " said director of cricket, David Byas.

"The decision over whether he turns out on Sunday will be left to him but I think he will want to be part of the team."

The C&G Trophy is no longer a knockout competition but is comprised instead of North and South Conferences with each team playing everyone else in their group and the top side in each Conference contesting the Lord's final.

Yorkshire (v Derbyshire) from: Wood, Sayers, McGrath, Lumb, Lehmann, White, Brophy, Dawson, Gillespie, Bresnan, Blain, Patterson, Claydon.

There was excellent news for Yorkshire yesterday when it was officially announced that Headingley, which missed out on an Ashes Test last year, will definitely stage one in 2009.

But the news that Cardiff has joined the Test match list and will also stage an Ashes Test was greeted with dismay by Lancashire because Old Trafford will not be hosting Australia.

Yorkshire are benefiting from the 15-year staging agreement for Test matches at Headingley which was conditional upon them buying the ground by the end of last year. Now they can look forward to a run of top Tests with Pakistan due there this summer, followed by the West Indies in 2007, South Africa in 2008 and then Australia.