Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale has sent a warning to the rest of the LV= County Championship Division One ahead of Thursday’s clash with Durham at Headingley.

The White Rose county secured a thumping nine-wicket win over Worcestershire inside three days at New Road over the weekend, winning their first match of the season for the second year running.

It has led to a number of pundits installing them as title favourites.

But Gale said: “We played some good cricket against Worcester but I don’t think we played our best cricket – not by a long way. There’s plenty more to come from us.

“I thought we weren’t quite at our best in certain areas but the main thing is that we stuck to our task.”

Batsman Anthony McGrath is set to return from injury to bolster a top order which struggled at New Road.

Durham were champions in 2008 and 2009 and, despite a handful of injury concerns, they will provide Gale’s men with a far sterner test than Worcester did.

The skipper said: “It should be a cracking game because they are a good side. You can never write them off in a Championship race. They will be there or thereabouts at the end of a season.

“We have got to be right on our game come Thursday if we are to get anything out of the fixture.”