YORKSHIRE captain Andrew Gale is in favour of bringing county cricket back to Bradford Park Avenue.

As part of plans led by the White Rose club to boost the game across Bradford, there is the possibility of first-class cricket returning to Park Avenue for the first time since 1996, potentially in time for 2019.

Yorkshire are expecting Headingley to host as many as ten days of international cricket that summer, including an Ashes Test and four World Cup matches.

That would put pressure on the Headingley pitches for domestic cricket, and Scarborough is currently Yorkshire's only outground.

Gale grew up playing for Gomersal and Cleckheaton, where he is still registered, and he said: "I played a lot of junior cricket there, and it's a good venue.

"Our Academy was based there originally, so we played a few games there. It was a good pitch with a rapid outfield, and I've got a few runs there in the past!

"It had that history and feel, and all the players who had been there would tell you they loved it at Park Avenue. It had a sort of Scarborough feel.

"I think they've got a long way to go from the last time I visited, but if they can get it up to standard, I think it would be brilliant because Bradford has a big community who love their cricket.

"The Bradford League is arguably one of the strongest in the country, it always has been. If you got county cricket back there, it would be well supported."

The left-handed batsman, however, does have a word of warning.

"In an ideal world, we'd love to get cricket all around Yorkshire like it used to be, but the challenging thing is the facilities," he added.

"The drainage at Headingley is fantastic. If it rains for a day, you can guarantee that you're on the next day. You go to somewhere like Park Avenue or Scarborough, and that might not be the case.

"Scarborough had to work really hard on the drainage and spend a lot of money.

"If they are going to do it, it needs doing right so that when we go, we know that if it does rain for a period of time, we are not going to be washed out."