Bradford University has been chosen as one of the England and Wales Cricket Board's six Centres of Cricketing Excellence which are to be set up under a new £300,000 scheme due to begin next year.

It means that Bradford will enhance still further its growing reputation of being one of the most important cities in the country for the development and training of talented cricketers.

And the news is also a major boost for Bradford Park Avenue cricket ground which, in addition to being used regularly by the Centre, will almost certainly stage ECB University Centres of Excellence two-day Champion-ship matches when this new competition starts up in 2001.

Charles Fenton, chairman of the Charitable Trust which runs Park Avenue, has confirmed that the trustees supported the University's application and had agreed them the use of the famous ground.

Bradford University's involvement is part of a joint collaboration with Bradford College, Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University who all form part of the Centre of Excellence and will pool their resources.

The five other Centres whose bids were approved out of more than 20 applications are Oxford University and Oxford Brookes; Cambridge University and Anglia Polytechnic; Durham University; Loughborough University; and Cardiff University, University of Wales Institute and the University of Glamorgan.

ECB Director of Cricket John Carr said today: "The standard of applications for this scheme was very high and narrowing it down to the final six proved extremely difficult.

"Our final choice reflects the need to balance an established cricket pedigree with high quality indoor and outdoor facilities, a full range of academic courses and admissions opportunities and the provision of excellent sports science and medicine input.

"The Centres of Excellence are aimed at male students with potential to play First Class cricket and female students who have played to senior county level. Each centre will be staffed by an ECB qualified coach employed by the University and will report on a regular basis to the ECB's technical director, Hugh Morris."

Bradford University vice chairman Professor Colin Bell said: "We are delighted to be involved in this with other institutions. It is really a team effort."

A pilot scheme devised by former Lancashire and England batsman Graeme Fowler is currently operating at Durham University.

Now the ECB has chosen to expand the scheme with support from the British Universities' Sports Association and the Professional Cricketers' Association and plans to contribute £50,000 annually to each centre via a combination of direct funding and sponsorship.

Tykes lay Gloucester bogey

England super star Darren Gough and Academy rookie Alex Stead combined to send Yorkshire on their way to victory over Gloucestershire by 81 runs in the opening PPP Championship match of the season at Headingley on Saturday.

It was a splendid victory which not only saw Yorkshire become the only team to beat both the weather and their opponents in last week's round of matches, but also laid to rest several Gloucestershire ghosts which have haunted Yorkshire in recent years.

The win ended a dismal run of five consecutive championship defeats at the hands of the West Country side. Yorkshire have now won six consecutive championship games and this latest triumph confirms their status as the bookies' favourites to go on and land the title.

Set a target of 262 in a minimum of 72 overs, Gloucester-shire looked quite capable of clinging on for a draw at 175 for seven in the 59th over.

But Gough then re-entered the attack at the Kirkstall Lane end and in his first over Martyn Ball smacked him to cover point where Dewsbury-born substitute fielder Stead, who attends Durham University, calmly held a neat catch.

Gough's next ball was a vicious yorker which wrecked Jon Lewis's stumps and there were still ten overs remaining when Ryan Sidebottom angled one across last man Mike Smith for skipper David Byas to take a stunning catch.

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