CAPTAIN Anthony McGrath made no excuses and pulled no punches when bad light and then rain put paid to Yorkshire's chances of beating Gloucestershire at Headingley on Saturday and condemned them to another season in Division Two of the Championship.

Victory would have brought Yorkshire promotion and they appeared to be heading for it at tea-time on the final day of the season when they had Gloucestershire on the rack at 93-5 as they chased a victory target of 254 with 40 overs remaining.

But the draw meant gleeful Gloucestershire were promoted instead and McGrath was not complaining.

"There is an adage which says don't leave promotion until the last game because you can expect interruptions from the weather," he said.

"With the team we have on paper we should have had it sewn up a long time ago but talent on its own doesn't get you anywhere.

"Playing consistently as a side is the top and bottom of it all and we simply haven't done that.

"Individuals have sometimes won us games but as a team we have experienced too many bad days and I don't think we are as good as some people believe we are, including ourselves.

"Failure to gain promotion in the Championship while suffering relegation in the National League and not getting beyond the early stages of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy and the Twenty-20 Cup is simply not what the club expects of a team of talented players.

"Maybe this bad light and poor weather is no more than we deserved in the end. We have just not been good enough and changes need to be made."

McGrath said that as far as the captaincy was concerned it would have been better if he had been available all season.

"I have enjoyed the experience and I have made some mistakes on the way but I am really disappointed that we have not achieved any of the things we set out to do before the season began," he added.

It was McGrath's bowling on the final afternoon which for a time appeared to give Yorkshire a lifeline to promotion. He knocked back the stumps of South African Jonty Rhodes and the stubborn Tim Hancock with the first ball of two spells to send shockwaves through Gloucestershire's ranks but in the end they were saved by the weather which assured them of entering the top flight for the first time since the Championship was split into two in 2000.

Now that the on-the-field action has stopped for Yorkshire the tough talking starts and the management board were today meeting behind closed doors at Headingley to decide on contracts for next season. An announcement is expected on Wednesday and it is thought that the 27-strong playing staff will be trimmed to 20 or 21.

Updated: 11:11 Monday, September 22, 2003