Yorkshire may try to sign a fast bowler before the start of the new season if one should become available.

Director of cricket, David Byas, admitted that Yorkshire's bowling resources could be thin on the ground this summer if Test calls and injuries occur at the same time.

"We will have no problems at all with a front line attack of Matthew Hoggard, Chris Silverwood, Steve Kirby, Ian Harvey and Tim Bresnan because it is a line-up which other counties will envy," said Byas.

"But if Hoggard has a good tour of the West Indies with England he is likely to be away from Yorkshire for much of the summer and Kirby is also on the fringes of Test selection."

"We only need to suffer an injury or two under those circumstances and we could be short of experienced bowlers now that we no longer have Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom and Gavin Hamilton to call upon.

"If a suitable bowler were to come on the market then I would have to say that we would be interested."

Yorkshire are still uncertain how much of a bowling contribution new captain Craig White will be able to make this season and their options have been further weakened by young paceman David Stiff moving to Kent.

Nick Thornicroft will be challenging strongly for a regular place but, like Bresnan, he is still in his teens and there is a limit to the amount of work Yorkshire can ask them to do.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire have now received planning permission to erect a scoreboard at Headingley in the new north east enclosure which is currently under construction and the completion date for this phase of the ground's development is May 20.

The board will be situated behind a tier of seating where the old club offices used to be and will include a video screen as well as ample space for giving a wide range of statistics.

Although it would have been better if the board could have been ready for the start of the season, spectators will be pleased to learn that improvements are being made to the existing board at the grandstand end of the West Stand.

Ticket sales for this summer's Test match and one-day international at Headingley already total around £450,000 but seats are still available on each day of the Test against New Zealand (June 3-7) and for the day-night NatWest Series game between England and the West Indies (July 1).

Yorkshire have lost 267 members through resignations since last season but new members already total 242.

The funeral service of former Yorkshire president, Viscount Mountgarret, will take place at the parish church of St Paul and St Margaret, Nidd, Harrogate, at noon on Monday.

Updated: 10:45 Thursday, February 19, 2004