It's going to be a happy Christmas for all four Yorkshire players who arrived back home today after making outstanding contributions on England's demanding tour of India.

Although England lost the three-match Test series 1-0 with the final two games being drawn, the Yorkshire quartet all did more than enough to book their places for the Test trip to New Zealand in the New Year.

Richard Dawson, still uncapped by Yorkshire, was England's biggest 'find' in India, and he combined skill with extraordinary maturity for a 21-year-old to establish himself as the country's No one off-spinner.

But it was Baildon's Matthew Hoggard who was the most impressive of all the younger players and to emerge as England's leading wicket-taker with nine dismissals at 31.22 runs apiece was a magnificent achievement.

Hoggard's pace and control, allied to his stamina and hostility, have turned him into a front-line fast bowler, and he looks poised to steal Yorkshire team-mate Darren Gough's crown as King of the Quicks.

If Hoggard and Andy Flintoff both maintain their high quality performances in New Zealand then Gough may regret his decision not to play Test cricket in India this winter - a decision which caused England to leave him off the list of 'probables'for the Test series in New Zealand.

Craig White, who is all set to start his benefit with Yorkshire in the New Year, appeared to have done himself no favours when he told England boss Duncan Fletcher that he was not up to bowling as quickly as in the past.

But White more than compensated with the bat and his brilliant 121 in the second Test not only earned him the man-of-the-match award but was England's only century in India.

Michael Vaughan's run of bad luck continued at the start of the tour when he was left out of the first Test but he seized his opportunity when Graham Thorpe returned home unexpectedly because of domestic reasons.

Vaughan battled on bravely in the second Test, despite suffering from stomach trouble, and had reached an elegant 64 in the final Test when he was sensationally out having handled the ball.

At least the distraught Vaughan had the consolation of topping the batting lists, his 106 runs from three innings, one of which was not out, giving him an average of 53.