WITH the exception of bad cheques, there is nothing in this world which travels faster than a pessimistic thought to the front of a Yorkshireman’s mind once he gets wind of optimistic news.

This was proven once again the other day when Yorkshire CCC announced the capture of New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson for the rest of the season.

Considering the title-chasing Tykes’ batting resources are so depleted they were close to asking Brian Blessed and Lesley Garrett what they’d got on in September, the promising Kiwi’s arrival should be hailed, particularly if it prevents Adil Rashid coming in at five.

No sooner had Williamson been unveiled, however, came that thought: Yorkshire’s overseas-players record is appalling, right?

Even allowing for the fact they could sign Hashim Amla and some people would moan he wasn’t getting enough wickets, it’s fair to say the club has dropped some right clangers when recruiting foreign personnel.

But Yorkshire is a cricketing county which loves remembering mishaps as much as triumphs, sometimes even more so.

Studied properly, they haven’t done too badly overseaser-wise.

Applying the criteria that a player should only be genuinely assessed after at least one full season in all competitions, the club’s balance sheet is actually pretty level.

Failures first.

Richie Richardson: uncomfortable, past his best and anonymous. Greg Blewett: see-ball-hit-ball technique broken by a summer when that ball moved at right-angles, although his bowling did turn a cup tie against Lancashire. Ian Harvey: pivotal in Gloucestershire’s brutal early-2000s one-day side, but had cricket’s equivalent of football’s Neil Webb Syndrome, an affliction condemning a player to only be any use at one particular club.

Yuvraj Singh: a high-profile overseas player being unceremoniously binned to the second XI is never the greatest of references.

And Rana Naved: the worst of the lot, due to a chronic inability to give anything even remotely approaching a monkey’s.

You could add Jason Gillespie, a major disappointment, but maybe Yorkshire got a good coach out of it.

Successes?

Darren Lehmann single-handedly eradicates three of those catastrophes.

8,871 Championship runs at an average of 68.76 is just ridiculous.

He played some of the most astonishing innings in Yorkshire’s history and liked beer and cigs.

Lehmann was as perfect for Yorkshire as Yorkshire were for him.

He would have won 70-plus Australia caps if he’d had the sense to be born ten years later than he was.

His forerunner, Michael Bevan, was awkward, moody and brought a brand of inventive, fearless cricket many Yorkshire fans previously didn't know existed.

A classic big-game player, he deserved a Lord’s showpiece for his scarily cold-eyed one-day performances, but Yorkshire bottled three semi-finals in two seasons.

Jacques Rudolph (an overseas player, whatever it says) was less mercurial, but supremely consistent and reassuring.

And Yorkshire’s trailblazing international recruit, some lad called Sachin Tendulkar, is seen as having an underwhelming record, but his signing transcended statistics, i.e. elbowing Yorkshire into the 20th Century with eight years to spare.

Ignoring the fact Yorkshire secured Ryan Harris in 2010 before Australia interfered and he would have been excellent if he’d stayed in one piece long enough, and that's one stroke of genius, two inarguable triumphs, one means-to-an-end who scored 1,070 Championship runs and averaged 47 in his single season, five shockers and one let-down with a positive twist in 21 years.

It’s not that shabby. As for short-term signings, the hits outweigh the misses. Matthew Elliott flew in, unpacked his toilet bag and clattered 128no against a decent Somerset attack to win the C&G Trophy.

Yorkshire would have got nowhere near last year’s T20 finals day and the financial boost of the Champions League without Mitchell Starc and David Miller.

Yes, all right, Inzamam-ul- Haq and Imran Tahir. But while Kane Williamson doesn’t have a universally glorious overseas- player heritage to live up to at Yorkshire, he also won’t be battling any jinxes.

And he’ll have Trent Boult or Tim Southee’s number for when Steve Patterson gets called up for England Lions against Mexico ‘B’ at Tunbridge Wells just as his county might actually win something for the first time since Blazin’ Squad got to number one.

•REGULAR columnist Tony Kelly had to blanch at a new entry to the lexicon of sport – the “squirrel grip”.

That’s what England rugby league forward Sam Burgess of South Sydney was charged with in the NRL - down under, natch – after he was accused of grabbing Melbourne Storm player Will Chambers between the legs. That’s gotta hurt.