Yorkshire will go a long way towards stealing Surrey's crown if they beat them over the next four days in Headingley's last CricInfo Champion-ship game of the season.

Only Sunday's Norwich Union match between the sides and the Test match in mid-August remain to be played on the ground before the next stage of the £10 million redevelopment programme starts.

Although both teams are severely hit by Test calls, Yorkshire seem less badly affected than their opponents.

And they are confident of being able to pull off a win which would make their position at the top of Division One even stronger.

Victory would also bring sweet revenge for last season's clash at Scarborough when Yorkshire forfeited eight points from the drawn match because they had prepared what was considered to be a poor pitch.

The loss of those points went on to cost Yorkshire second place in the Champion-ship table - and £50,000 in prize-money.

The game was played in a bad atmosphere because Yorkshire felt Surrey had known in advance that a pitch liaison officer was going to call at North Marine Road.

And they also believed they were harshly treated after Surrey had scored 330 for eight on the first day of the match when conditions were supposed to be at their worst.

Surrey made a late charge up the table to take the title last year with a 20-point lead over Lancashire, but they may well have let things drift for too long this time.

They are the only side in Division One not to have lost a match, but eight of their games have finished as draws, and if they lose to Yorkshire their championship hopes could be in trouble.

Yorkshire have a 14-point lead over Somerset at the head of the table.

They also have a game in hand, and if they can pick up their seventh win of the season it will make them virtually uncatchable.

Yorkshire have Gavin Hamilton and Chris Elstub, for the first time this year, ready to play.

l Yorkshire beat Cumberland by ten wickets after a remarkable day's play in the two day under-17 county match at Bradford and Bingley's Wagon Lane yesterday.

Starting the day on 47 for none in reply to Cumberland's first innings' 293, Yorkshire scored 310 for three declared.

Yorkshire then bowled out Cumberland for 131. That left Yorkshire needing 115 to win off 23 overs, and they reached their target in 14.2 overs. Yorkshire's final group match is against Durham this week.