Yorkshire, one of only two counties to win the County Championship five times in succession (1892-96) start their quest to win it against Northumberland at Macclesfield e on Saturday.

And the white rose coach Bob Hood (Yarnbury) is one of the busiest men in the game at the moment, dove-tailing his work with the Yorkshire senior side with his coaching duties with the England Counties Under-20s, who meet Scotland Under-20s tomorrow night at St Andrew’s University.

However, despite having an international brief to fulfil, prospects for the County Championship still create a buzz of expectation.

“I’m quite excited this year because of the number and quality of the players who have made themselves available,” said Hood.

“Rotherham and Leeds have both been very co-operative, and we also have players from Doncaster, as well as other lads from Otley, Harrogate and Wharfedale, so I’m really looking forward to selection.

“If we can get off to a really good start against Cheshire and then we’ve got the Lancashire game, I’ll think our bid will gain momentum.

“But in the last two years we’ve lost against Cheshire, so we need to be on our game.

“I think we have a better pool of players in all departments than last year, but Saturday's game is crucial.”