Yorkshire face up to life without Vaughan

Yorkshire have accepted that their 2004 county campaign will have to take place without the services of Michael Vaughan, who will be on virtual non-stop international duty for the entire summer.

"We've written off Vaughan as far as this season is concerned," Yorkshire's director of communications, Geoff Cope, told the Yorkshire Post. "I don't think he will play a championship game for us. There might be a chance of him appearing in a C&G Trophy game or something like that - but that's going to be about it."

Yorkshire's season begins next week, but Vaughan will not return from the Caribbean until early May, as England still have to complete a seven-match one-day series after the fourth Test in Antigua. Then England move straight into a three-Test series against New Zealand, before West Indies arrive for the NatWest Series and a four-Test return series.

And as if that was not enough, England's international engagements will carry all the way through to the Champions' Trophy in late-September. At least Matthew Hoggard might be available for that tournament, although Cope accepts that he will be in need of a break after his exertions in the Test series.

"Hoggard will almost certainly want a break when he returns from the West Indies," admitted Cope, "so I doubt whether he will feature in our opening championship game against Essex."