Those Yorkshire fans unfortunate enough to miss Michael Vaughan's epic Benson and Hedges Cup innings earlier in the week were treated to a repeat performance at Headingley yesterday when he plundered a dazzling 133 on the first day of the Cricinfo Championship match with Northamptonshire.

Against Somerset at Taunton, Vaughan stroked an unbeaten 125 to see Yorkshire through to the semi-finals, an innings which was to earn him a place in England's squad for the forthcoming series of one-day internationals.

His selection was announced as he walked to the crease yesterday and he celebrated with a peerless exhibition of batting which contained 18 fours and a six.

The only difference was that in the one-day game he faced 128 balls while on this occasion he had the time for a more measured approach, receiving 248 deliveries before he was surprised by la delivery from Darren Cousins.

Vaughan is playing better than at any time in his career and is looking a batsman of the highest quality, driving elegantly through the gaps with perfect balance and timing and picking out the bad balls with astonishing speed and skill.

How long now before people are asking if Yorkshire have produced a more delightful player than Vaughan since the days when Len Hutton strode the stage?

There was drama even before play began when Darren Leh-mann was forced to drop out with a pinched nerve in his neck to be replaced by Craig White who came hot from the Second XI match against Worcestershire at Scarborough where the previous day he had returned to form with an unbeaten 82.

Northants also had some surprises of their own up their sleeve, first of all drafting in off-spinner Graeme Swann from their second team game to take the place of Lesroy Weekes who had confidently expected to make his Champ-ionship debut against the county that had failed to give him a full contract last season.

Then Northants raised eyebrows by putting Yorkshire in to bat, the only apparent reason being that they did not fancy an immediate confrontation with Yorkshire's formidable pace attack.

Vaughan quickly seized his opportunity and was soon putting some fairly ordinary bowling to the sword as he and Scott Richardson formed a Lancashire-born pair of openers for the first time in Yorkshire's history.

Richardson made 12 before hitting Tony Penberthy straight to Graeme Swann at square leg but Wood kept

Vaughan company for 47 overs in a second wicket stand of 143 which ended when Wood offered no stroke to a ball from Kevin Innes that went on to take the off-bail.