Date-stamped : 18 May94 - 14:25 Yorkshire 1994 Preview Moxon : Trying to accentuate positive A tentative, rather unnerving - and perhaps only temporary - ceasefire seems still to be holding in Yorkshire. For generations who counted success as their birthright, decline at first proved intolerably bitter. This is the county, after all, where the Leeds Development Corporation can promote its product as than a trauma. Just once in the last 13 seasons have Yorkshire endured a single-figure County Championship position. One-day honours have arrived only twice since 1969. Thus, perhaps, the lack of widespread dissent and anguish over abandoned traditions. Not only do Yorkshire now have an overseas player but they also in- clude an Anglo-Australian. Their best young batting prospect for a decade, Michael Vaughan, is a Lancastrian. And Richard Stemp, signed from Worcestershire last year to replace Phil Carrick, has brought a profaning breath of Brummie to the dressing room. Much of the credit for this belongs to Martyn Moxon, a captain respected throughout the circuit, entering his fifth season at the helm. It is less than 15 months since Moxon was leading England's A team and was a legitimate, if outside, candidate to succeed Graham Gooch. But for the fragility of his bones, Moxon's authoritative, correct batting, now at its mature height, would undoubtedly have gained more than 10 Test caps. The greatest problem for Moxon and his side has been to live with past Yorkshire glory and a public hitherto disinclined to give thanks for small mercies. A defensiveness has developed. It is not ac- cidental that only two counties lost fewer Championship matches than Yorkshire last year: the difficulty has been to move beyond the comfort of the draw and dare to grasp at victory. Ironically, the criticism of both Yorkshire's overseas imports, Sachin Ten- dulkar and Richie Richardson, has been that they dealt more in cameos than hundreds. In the Championship, Richardson, fatigued from endless cricket, fell 10 times between 35 and 68 in 23 in- nings, only once reaching a century. While Yorkshire would obvi- ously be better served by the big contributions critical to four-day matches, the native batsmen, Simon Kellett, David Byas, wicket-keeper Richard Blakey and Paul Grayson, might profit from harnessing some of the purpose Richardson showed. To be fair, the same criticism can be laid at much of English cricket. It is lit- tle to the credit of our game that Craig White, Morley-born but Bendigo educated, stands out for the commitment and zeal he has brought to Yorkshire. Whether as No 6 batsman, importing a wel- come assurance, as predatory fielder or as an occasional bowler prepared to provide spin or seam, White has been exemplary. Yorkshire batsmen also have to contend with several inhibitingly slow and low home pitches. The length of the tail is a further distraction. Though, in Blakey, they have the most gifted bats- man among specialist wicket-keepers, the first-choice side would still have Peter Hartley arriving at seven. Admirably though Hartley applies himself - his career includes two Championship centuries - this seems too high. Since the batting is sound more than established, there may well be opportunities for the 19- year-old Vaughan. With a maturity and awareness which has im- pressed good judges, Vaughan made a hundred in last year's youth 'Tests' against West Indies and a fifty in the Roses match, his maiden first-class innings. He led England youth to Sri Lanka. The quirks of the fixture programme leave Yorkshire without com- petitive home cricket until May 19. But if the county's pitches can pose batting problems, they should, in theory, be a prime bowling asset. The Yorkshire conveyor belt, at the astutely- managed Cricket Academy, still seem to turn out an unending line of seamers such as Mark Broadhurst and Chris Silverwood. Criti- cal here will be the development of Darren Gough. It is unfair to saddle a 23-year-old with the fate of a summer but, after an en- couraging England A tour, the combative Gough has the chance to embrace the role of spearhead which the departed Paul Jarvis seemed reluctant to accept. The reliable support bowling of Hart- ley and Mark Robinson grants both Gough and his captain a degree of licence. Robinson is a highly under-rated performer. When the rhythm is with him, he is as fine an exploiter of seaming condi- tions as any in the country, as his nine for 37 against former Northamptonshire colleagues on a damp surface at Harrogate con- firmed last summer. Specialist spin will come from Stemp and Jeremy Batty, a talented combination with, as yet, however, only 48 years between them. In the wings waits Gary Keedy, whose slow left-armers were arguably the key to England's Under-19 success over West Indies. (Thanks : The Daily Telegraph) Contributed by Vicky (VIGNESWA@*umass.edu)