Andrew Gale is delighted with Yorkshire’s position in the LV= County Championship promotion race, even though they do not occupy one of Division Two’s top spots going into their last four matches.

Derbyshire currently lead the way by 26 points, having played one match fewer than their rivals ahead of Wednesday's trip to Headingley, while Hampshire lie second on 120, with Yorkshire in third on the same total.

Hampshire are higher in the table by virtue of having one more win, the first tie-breaker should teams be level on points.

Yorkshire have to play Derbyshire, who have won five matches in all, Gloucestershire and Glamorgan at home and Essex away before the end of the season.

“With the weather that we’ve had, I’d have bitten your hand off to be where we are now,” said captain Gale.

“If we’d have had decent weather, I reckon we’d be past Derby. We’d have won a couple more games at least.


“We’ve had a week away from Championship cricket, and the results have probably gone for us while we haven’t been playing. It’s still wide open. It’s all to play for.


“It’s in our hands now, and we’ve got a hell of chance. We are still in with a realistic chance of two trophies, three mathematically. To have a chance of winning two trophies in the last month of the season is exactly where you want to be.


“Derbyshire this week is a massive game for us, and one we’re looking forward to.”


Rain has been the soundtrack to Yorkshire’s season, especially in the Championship.


It may have cost them the chance to win their match against Leicestershire at Grace Road late last month but they were outplayed in their last fixture against Northamptonshire, even though the weather was prominent again.


“We probably tried to force the game too much at Northampton because of the weather. It was in the back of our minds that we needed to try and finish the game in three days,” added Gale, who has not ruled out Dan Hodgson’s chances of making his Championship debut in place of Gerard Brophy.


“We won’t be trying to force it this week. I just want the lads to relax and express themselves. When we’ve done that, we’ve played some really good cricket.”