YORKSHIRE were heading for their sixth completely blank day in the Championship this season at Cheltenham today.

More bad weather during the morning followed yesterday's monsoon which restricted play against Gloucestershire to 11.1 overs.

Umpires Neil Mallender and Trevor Jesty needed only a brief look at the swamped ground to decide there would be no play before lunch and there was every chance they would call it off for the day at the interval.

Although the summer has been one of the hottest on record, Yorkshire scorer John Potter scorns suggestions that it has also been one of the driest.

"We lost a record number of minutes in the Championship during May and July has turned out to exceptionally wet as well," said Potter as he set about updating his records in the team's hotel.

All the action was contained in the first 12 deliveries yesterday before a cloudburst abruptly ended the first day's play with Gloucestershire on 33-2.

Rain the previous day left the outfield so soggy that the game could not begin until 1.40pm and there was then a stoppage which cost nine overs before the spectacular deluge flooded the ground.

Although there seemed plenty in it for the pacemen in the few overs that were possible the general feeling was that the pitch would increasingly take spin and Yorkshire included both of their slow bowlers, Andy Gray and Richard Dawson. Gloucestershire brought in former Yorkshire left-armer Ian Fisher to team up with fellow spinners Martyn Ball and Shoaib Malik.

Gloucestershire decided to bat first but were in trouble from Chris Silverwood's fourth ball off which Chris Spearman got thick inside edge onto his stumps.

Gloucestershire's other opener, Phil Weston, also fell for a duck as he pushed hesitantly forward at the last delivery of Steven Kirby's opening over and gave a catch to Simon Guy.

Gloucestershire were in trouble at 4-2 but Tim Hancock and Matthew Windows moved the score on to 33-2 by the close.

Taylor's of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea are to end their six-year sponsorship of Yorkshire CCC at the end of the season.

Updated: 14:02 Thursday, July 31, 2003