Anthony McGrath was being given extra responsibilities against Sussex at Arundel today as County Champions Yorkshire went in search of their first win of the season.

In a bid to end the depressing sequence of results which has brought five defeats and a draw from six starts, McGrath will be pushed up the order a couple of places to take over the important No 3 spot from the uncapped Michael Lumb.

McGrath, who plays Bradford League cricket for East Bierley, struck good form at Headingley in the previous match, which was also against Sussex, and he made 71 in the first innings before falling lbw to medium-pacer Billy Taylor.

Lumb, however, followed up his first innings duck with only a single and Yorkshire think too much pressure may have been placed on his inexperienced shoulders going in at the fall of the first wicket.

"McGrath is a mature batsman who opened for a while with Michael Vaughan and we hope he can do a good job of going in at No 3," said cricket chairman, Bob Platt.

"If he does, then it will help relieve some of the pressure on Lumb who is an attacking player and he will be able to go for his strokes coming in later on."

Yorkshire were without England players Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard but they were relieved that Sussex paceman James Kirtley, who took ten wickets in the Headingley match, was also with England for the NatWest Series against Sri Lanka and India.