Yorkshire Phoenix's chances of finishing top of the North Conference in the Chelten-ham & Gloucester Trophy and so qualifying for the Lord's final have again been hit by bad weather.

Their game with Warwick-shire Bears at Headingley yesterday was the only one in the country to make a prompt start but rain set in after only four overs and the match was abandoned with Yorkshire on 14 without loss.

It was the second rain-ruined home game that York-shire have had to endure this season they never even started against Nottingham-shire and on each occasion they have picked up only a solitary point from a no-result' contest.

Yorkshire beat Northamp-tonshire last week but lost their first match of the season to Derbyshire and so far they have acquired only four points and have just five more fixtures to come.

Director of cricket David Byas is unhappy with the new format of the C&G and so are his players, who feel that there are insufficient games to make up for abandoned matches.

"Two out of our four games have fallen foul of the weather and we could soon be in a situation of not being able to catch up with the leaders through no fault of our own," said Byas.

"If we get to the stage where I feel that we cannot possibly finish top of the North Con-ference then I will bring in some of the younger players and give them a chance to show what they can do.

"We have made a poor start to the season in the Champion-ship and changes will be made generally if other players are showing good form." Byas made one surprise late change yesterday by bringing in fast bowler Mitch Claydon in place of left-hander Andrew Gale in an attempt to spice up the pace attack.

Claydon has recovered from a side strain he sustained on his Championship debut against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in the first match of the season and proved his fitness on Friday by grabbing four for 14 for the Second XI, who shot out Durham Seconds for 26.

Ajmal Shahzad took six for 11 at Hartlepool and both he and Claydon are included in a strong-looking Colts team which Byas has selected for their three-day Championship match with Surrey Seconds, starting at York tomorrow.

First-team openers Matthew Wood and Joe Sayers are both in the squad of 12 and so are wicketkeepers Gerard Brophy and Simon Guy and senior spinners Richard Dawson and Mark Lawson.

Yorkshire Seconds (v Surrey Seconds) from: Sayers, Wood, Gale, Pyrah, Brophy, Bresnan, Guy, Dawson, Lawson, Claydon, Shahzad, Blain.

Meanwhile, England captain Michael Vaughan was one of the first to arrive at Heading-ley early yesterday morning and was soon hard at work on his fitness routines with Yorkshire physio Scott McAl-lister and coach Richard Blakey.

Later in the morning, Eng-land's chairman of selectors David Graveney refuted a Sunday newspaper article that there were serious worries within the camp that Vaughan would never play for England again because of his knee injury.

"Michael is training hard and I have seen pictures of him batting in the nets," said Graveney.

"Once he is match fit, he will ring me and tell me."