England captain Michael Vaughan made the ideal start to his new season with a solid half century for Yorkshire in their six-wicket win over Ireland in Belfast yesterday in the first round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.

Vaughan put on 91 for the first wicket with Ian Harvey and then 65 for the second with Phil Jaques before being caught behind by Jeremy Bray off Gordon Cooke but by that time Yorkshire were well on their way to the 202 they required for victory and a home tie with either Scotland or Worcestershire on May 17.

The win was no formality, however, after Ireland had resumed their innings with great determination. Yorkshire only had 14 balls to spare before they nosed ahead.

Neither did Yorkshire come away unscathed. Matthew Wood had to go to hospital for three stitches in his left knee after spiking it with his boot. He was able to come in at the fall of the fourth wicket and keep Jaques company.

Having reduced Ireland to 33-3 on the first rain-hit day, Yorkshire may have expected the slide to continue but Eoin Morgan and Peter Gillespie each recorded half-centuries in a fourth-wicket stand worth 113 before Craig White brought himself on to spoil the fun.

He knocked back the stumps of both and went on to take the next two wickets to finish with 4-43 off ten overs, his second best figures in the competition.

In Yorkshire's four limited overs games this season, White has captured 13 wickets in 23 overs at 7.30 runs apiece.

Harvey set the pace in his opening partnership with Vaughan and had made 57 from 59 balls with nine fours when he was caught by Gillespie off Kyle McCallan but Yorkshire continued to dominate.

Quick to find his touch in his first match since England's final one-day international in South Africa in mid-February, Vaughan completed his own half-century but when he had got to 58 from 92 deliveries he was caught behind the wicket.

After losing Michael Lumb and Anthony McGrath cheaply Jaques scored 55 off 89 balls with two fours and a six.

Yorkshire have named an unchanged squad for their Championship match against Northamptonshire at Headingley tomorrow. A decision will be taken later on whether Wood will be fit to play.

SCOREBOARD

C & G Trophy

First round

Ireland v Yorkshire

(at Belfast)

Ireland Innings

Molins b Hoggard 7

Bray lbw b Bresnan 0

A Botha lbw b Hoggard 10

Morgan b White 59

Gillespie b White 55

Johnston c Jaques b White 24

Joyce c Harvey b White 2

Botha not out 18

McCallan not out 10

Extras b1 lb9 w4 nb2 16

Total 7 wkts (50 overs) 201

Fall: 1-1 2-19 3-24 4-137 5-160 6-169 7-172.

Did not bat: G Cooke, A G A M McCoubrey.

Bowling: Hoggard 10-0-28-2 Bresnan 9-2-25-1 Harvey 10-0-51-0 Dawson 7-1-27-0 Vaughan 2-0-6-0 White 10-1-43-4 McGrath 2-0-11-0.

Yorkshire First Innings

Harvey c Gillespie b McCallan 57

Vaughan c Bray b Cooke 58

Jaques not out 55

Lumb b Johnston 15

McGrath run out 1

Wood not out 6

Extras lb3 w7 10

Total 4 wkts (47.4 overs) 202

Fall: 1-91 2-156 3-183 4-190.

Did not bat: C White, I Dawood, R K J Dawson, T T Bresnan, M J Hoggard.

Bowling: McCoubrey 6-0-25-0 Johnston 10-2-36-1 A C Botha 7.4-0-41-0 Cooke 5-0-31-1 J Botha 10-0-37-0 McCallan 9-0-29-1.

Yorkshire won by six wickets

Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy

First round

Brondby: Denmark 56 (Pietersen 7-10) v Northamptonshire 59-2. Northants won by eight wickets.

South Wilts: Kent 160 (Nash 4-46) v Wiltshire 151 (Cook 4-22) Kent won by nine runs.

Wormsley: Lancashire 370-4 Innings Complete (Crook 162 no, Loye 66, Chapple 55 no) v Buckinghamshire 39-2. Lancs won by 51 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method).

Rotterdam: Warwickshire 237-5 (Knight 108, Penney 51 no) v Holland 214 (van Bunge 89; Carter 4-44). Warwicks won by 23 runs.

Reading: Gloucestershire 223 (W P C Weston 80, C G Taylor 57) v Berkshire 138. Gloucs won by 85 runs.

Exmouth: Devon 84 (Adams 3-17, Gough 3-18) v Essex 264-5 (A Flower 69, Bopara 59no). Essex won by 180 runs.

Jesmond: Northumberland 206-8 (Humble 88no) v Middlesex 210-0 (Weekes 106no, Smith 96no). Middlesex won by ten wickets.

Luton: Bedfordshire 143 Lewry 3-31, Kirtley 3-34) v Sussex 146-2 (Ward 65). Sussex won by eight wickets.

Riverside: Durham 234 (Collingwood 82; Botha 4-44) v Derbyshire 132-5.

Grace Road: Leicestershire 96-7 (Francis 3-31) v Somerset 94 (Willoughby 6-16). Leics won by three wickets.

The Grange: Scotland v Worcestershire. No play yesterday - resumed today.

Leek: Staffordshire 186 (Ormond 3-29) v Surrey 192 (Follett 3-20). Surrey won by three wickets.

Whitchurch: Shropshire 132 (Warne 3-20, Logan 3-37) v Hampshire 133-3 (Pietersen 76). Hants won by 7 wkts.

Bury St Edmunds: Suffolk 177-8 (Warn 45) v Glamorgan 320-5 (Elliott 100no, Croft 56). Glamorgan won by 143 runs.

Swansea: Wales 119 (Ealham 4-28, Harrisa 3-31) v Nottinghamshire 121-4. Notts won by six wickets.

Updated: 11:21 Thursday, May 05, 2005