Yorkshire have rejected a request from Australia to give pace ace Brett Lee a game with the Second XI next week as he starts his build up for the Ashes series.

Lee, 24, tipped to become the first bowler in the world to hurl down a delivery at 100mph, has just arrived in England with the other Australians who are in the Test squad but not taking part in the NatWest triangular one-day tournament which begins tomorrow.

The New South Wales bowler has not played cricket since injuring his elbow in February and Australia are anxious for him to get in some immediate match practice.

Australia's public relations officer, Brian Murgatroyd, approached Yorkshire chief executive Chris Hassell to ask if Lee could make an appearance for the second team next week in their three-day match against Nottinghamshire Sec-onds at Rotherham, starting on Wednesday.

But after turning down the request, Hassell explained: "We had no objection whatsoever to helping out Australia but we reluctantly said 'no' because there was a feeling we would be criticised for shifting one of our youngsters out of the team to make room for him."

Hassell even suggested that Nottinghamshire might be able to include Lee against Yorkshire and enquiries were made at Trent Bridge, but they have no first team game next week and want to include several senior players in the Second XI.

Now Australia are renewing their search to find a game for Lee so that he can sharpen up for when the serious business of the battle for the Ashes gets under way.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have Matthew Hoggard back from the Test match for tomorrow's top-of-the-table CricInfo Cha-mpionship clash with Kent at Headingley, but they are still without Darren Gough and Michael Vaughan who stay with England for the one-day series.

Hoggard is added to the side which slaughtered Glamorgan by 328 runs at Swansea last week, the joint fourth biggest runs win in Yorkshire's history.

But Yorkshire are still awaiting instructions from England as to whether they can bowl Craig White or go on using him solely as a batsman if his back injury is still troubling him.

Neither Michael Lumb nor Paul Hutchison can squeeze their way into the Yorkshire side at the moment and both play today in the second team Roses match at Middleton.

Also included by Yorkshire is right hand bat and off-spinner, Andy Gray, who is an Australian with a British passport.

Gray is playing for Scarbor-ough this season and Yorkshire are using this opportunity to take a look at him.

Yorkshire (v Kent) from: Richardson, Wood, White, Lehmann, Byas, Fellows, Blakey, Hamilton, Middlebrook, Silverwood, Sidebottom, Hoggard.

Yorkshire Seconds (v Lancashire Seconds): Taylor, Widdup, Craven, Lumb, Sadler, Gray, Fisher, Guy, Baker, Wigley, Hutchison