Date-stamped : 20 Apr97 - 06:18 Yorkshire hopefuls state case By Peter Deeley at Headingley First day of four: Yorkshire (289) lead Lancashire (45-1) by 244 runs A TRIO of aspiring Yorkshire batsmen should sense this morning whether their endeavours in this Roses fixture have been worthwhile, when they learn whether Michael Slater is coming to England this summer as county import or Australian Test player. On the overnight decision of the Australian selectors rests the immediate hopes of Matthew Wood, Bradley Parker and Richard Kettleborough for first-team places. Wood, 20, at times seemed positively greedy for runs, scoring 81 on his first-class debut. Parker, 27, who by contrast has been at Leeds six seasons for a mere 17 games, collected three sixes and 10 fours in an unbeaten 85, guiding Yorkshire to a 289 on a low pitch. Kettleborough, 24, lasted only eight balls but enough was seen of his ability last summer for him to be a contender, too. Both sides were much under-strength for this pipe- warmer for the championship. Yorkshire had only three regulars and Lancashire were little better off, with Gary Yates, the off- spinner, doing most damage by getting four late wickets. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) =============================>Day 2 Lloyd`s 225 gives value for money By Peter Deeley at Headingley Second day of four: York-shire (289 & 34-1) trail Lanca- shire (482) by 159 runs RUN feasts are as much a feature of cricket`s opening week as daffodils and lambing. The difference with Graham Lloyd`s hurricane double-century was that it came off Yorkshire, not a naive university attack. Last summer Lloyd made 241 at Chelmsford in 187 balls, hitting 12 sixes. This time he reached 225 from 151 deliveries, a spree which included 25 boundaries. It was an extraordinary turnaround after Yorkshire seemed to be heading for a large first-innings lead when Lancashire were 111 for five. Mike Watkinson was first to change the script with 45 off 34 balls. Then Ian Austin joined Lloyd and they rewrote local seventh- wicket records. They put on 248 in 31 overs with Austin registering 83 at almost a run a ball. This broke an 85-year Lancashire record and was also the highest against Yorkshire. But everything else paled into insignificance when Lloyd got into his stride. Lloyd, who had reached 200 in 130 balls, was out immediately after tea going for another huge hit. By then spectators who had been complaining about paying 7 had got their money`s worth. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) ==================================> Chapman`s resistance brings clash of fixtures By Peter Deeley at Headingley Third day of four: Lancs (482) need 106 runs to beat Yorkshire (289 & 298) LANCASHIRE should comfortably complete their first victory in five of these pre-season Roses contests today. It would probably have been a three-day win but for the durability of Colin Chapman, a long-time servant at Yorkshire who has spent most of his years waiting in the wings for such a moment. The visitors were hoping they would have wrapped up matters in time to watch the Liverpool-Manchester United game this morning on television in the comfort of their own homes. Instead, the majority will have to make do with viewing their favourites on the set in their dressing-room while their openers go out to do the business. Chapman, 25, the regular second XI wicket-keeper, made his debut for Yorkshire in 1990. In the intervening eight years, including this match, he has played in a meagre five first-class games and batted in only nine innings. Greater loyalty to a club have few men shown for so little recognition. He has unfortunately always been in the shadow of Richard Blakey. Blakey was due to play here but damaged a rib muscle on the eve of the match and Chapman stepped in at the 11th hour. His first innings 35 was a personal best and this time he came to the crease with Yorkshire in a real crisis at 79 for four. Chapman resisted for 4.5 hours, hitting 10 boundaries, and ensured that Yorkshire avoided the ignominy of an innings defeat. He shared in a 94-run stand for the seventh wicket with Gavin Hamilton and Lancashire were beginning to look ragged when Hamilton - one short of his own half-cen-tury - succeeded in doing what he had often threatened, running himself out. Then Gareth Batty, avoiding the danger of a king pair on his first-class debut, played sensibly as he helped Chapman to added a further 42 for the eighth wicket. Eventually when the new ball was taken, Chapman, on 80, got a lifting ball from Peter Martin which he edged to Neil Fairbrother at slip. It was the end of a brave innings, if hardly in the mould of Graham Lloyd`s double century the previous day. Apologies to Lloyd for failing to mention he hit 10 sixes in his 225 as well as 25 boundaries. Yorkshire had been in trouble from the start with Martin claiming two leg before victims as the ball tended to scuttle through. Captain David Byas began the recovery with a firmly-hit 39 before he was drawn forward by Richard Green. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) =================================>Day 4 Roses out of season By Peter Deeley at Headingley LANCASHIRE duly wrapped up this game by six wickets before lunch yesterday to record their first win in these pre- season Roses clashes. Yorkshire had won three of the previous four meetings but their young attack was never a match for the greater experience and accuracy of the Lancashire bowlers. It is difficult to fathom quite what is the point of these non-championship meetings between the old rivals. Public interest is minimal: fewer than 250 non-members paid 7 each to get in and that would hardly cover the players` lunches, let alone the media`s coffee. They do provide an alternative to visits to the universities to try out up-and-comers and that in itself has exposed a dilemma for Yorkshire. Once it was known that Michael Slater would not be coming this summer following his inclusion in the Australian tour party, some senior players felt the club could well follow Surrey`s example and stick to home-grown talent. The evidence in favour was there for all to see this week. Batsmen like Matthew Wood and Bradley Parker showed enough ability to stake a claim to first-team consideration and Richard Kettleborough`s form last season, when he stepped into Michael Bevan`s shoes, suggests he should be found a place. But those who run Yorkshire cricket were in no doubt that the club had to have an overseas import, partly for the glamour associated with a "name" and because it puts bottoms on seats. Their view carried the day. Within hours of losing Slater, chief executive Chris Hassell had Darren Lehmann`s name on a contract and the South Australian should arrive in time to play in a one-day game against British Universities at Oxford next Saturday. Lehmann is an aggressive left-hander but his place in the middle-order means less opportunity for those waiting in the wings in Yorkshire. It may drive some to seek the limelight elsewhere and in the long term the county would be the poorer for that. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)