Vaughan places Yorkshire firmly in the driver's seat

Michael Vaughan continued his astonishing batting form by scoring a highly polished 133 for Yorkshire on the opening day of the Cricinfo Championship game with Northamptonshire at Headingley on Friday.

It was the perfect way to celebrate his inclusion in the England one-day squad and his innings came hard on the heels of his brilliant unbeaten 125 earlier in the week in the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter final match against Somerset.

Northants surprisingly asked Yorkshire to bat first and Vaughan was soon finding the boundary with perfectly placed shots. He lost Scott Richardson at 38 but Matthew Wood then partnered him in a brisk and entertaining stand of 143 for the second wicket during which Vaughan completed his century in the grand manner by pulling Tony Penberthy for six.

Vaughan also included 14 fours in his 174-ball century but at 181 he lost Wood for 44 when he left alone a ball from Kevin Innes which trimmed the off-bail.

Craig White, drafted into the side at the last minute from the Second XI match with Worcestershire at Scarborough to replace Darren Lehmann who was suffering from a trapped nerve in his neck, also attacked strongly and moved rapidly to 20.

He then sliced a drive at Darren Cousins and was caught at second slip by Graeme Swann, the first of three victims in the space of 12 balls for the seamer.

Cousins knocked back David Byas's middle stump and made it three wickets in three overs by bowling Vaughan who missed a pull at a ball which did not bounce as much as he had anticipated. Vaughan returned to the pavilion to a standing ovation, having batted faultlessly for 248 deliveries off which he hit 18 fours and a six.

Yorkshire were struggling slightly at 230 for five but they quickly re-asserted their authority with an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 70 between Michael Lumb and Gary Fellows which took them to 300 for five by the close.

South African born Lumb, son of Yorkshire's former opening batsman, Richard, showed plenty of aggression in his first home Championship match, pulling John Blain over mid wicket for six and hammering him for three consecutive fours.

Lumb had reached a Championship best 42 by stumps and Fellows stood on 26.