AUSTRALIAN batting star Damien Martyn, back in action after breaking his nose, played some dazzling strokes for Yorkshire in their crunch clash with Gloucestershire in the final Championship match of the season at Headingley today.

Martyn delighted the large crowd by blasting his way to 50 off only 33 balls with ten fours and a six and at 141 for three Yorkshire had recovered well after losing a wicket to the first ball of the match.

Dewsbury-born left-arm seamer Mike Smith slanted his opening delivery across Craig White, who edged it to second slip where the catch was taken by Australian all-rounder, Ian Harvey, who is being tipped to join Yorkshire next season.

If Yorkshire win they will be promoted but if they only draw or lose then Gloucestershire will finish in third place and go up along with Worcestershire and Northants.

Yorkshire made two changes from the side which lost to Worcestershire on Monday, Darren Gough and Martyn replacing Vic Craven and Chris Taylor.

Anthony McGrath, who had won the toss on a perfect late summer's day, found himself at the crease for the second ball of the morning and he was straight off the mark with an on-driven boundary off Smith.

Matthew Wood should also have departed in Jon Lewis's first over when he got an inside edge which presented Jack Russell with the simplest of catches but the former England wicketkeeper put it down.

McGrath soon began to make amends for the poor start by forcing Smith through point for four and then edging Lewis to the third man rope before lashing Lewis for a mid-wicket boundary.

Harvey replaced Lewis at the Kirkstall Lane end while McGrath registered his sixth boundary in his first 27 runs with another four at Smith's expense.

Lewis took over from Smith, but it was against Harvey that Wood played a glorious cover drive off the front foot although later in the over he was fortunate to get away with a mistimed hook which lobbed over the head of square leg.

It was McGrath, however, who was next out. He failed to use his feet to Harvey and was well caught at third slip by Tim Hancock and Harvey struck again in his next over, left-hander Michael Lumb playing round a ball and being lbw, making Yorkshire 51-3.

Martyn came in with Yorkshire in crisis and guided Harvey to the mid-wicket boundary and then took three fours in an over off Lewis with stunning strokes before doing the same to Harvey.

Martyn hit three fours and a six in one over from Smith to race to his half-century with one of the best displays of batting seen at Headingley this season.

Updated: 14:45 Wednesday, September 17, 2003