Yorkshire despatched the row over the sale of Headingley cricket ground back into their landlord's court.

They insisted that although they still wanted negotiations to continue they had to regard them has having come to an end because they had been ended unilaterally by Leeds Cricket Football and Athletic Club.

But at the same time they offered an olive branch to Leeds CFAC chairman Paul Caddick by saying they hoped he would reply positively to their letter and re-open negotiations.

Last week Leeds CFAC stunned Yorkshire by calling a press conference and stating that the county club had called off negotiations and that as a result they would have to pay costs estimated at £500,000.

At their own press conference at Headingley yesterday, however, Yorkshire chairman Robin Smith said the club had no intention of withdrawing from negotiations and he emphatically denied there had been any disagreement been the four management board members over the nature of a deal.

Smith admitted that potential benefactors had not responded sufficiently for a deal to be concluded on Leeds CFAC's asking price of £15million but he felt that a deal for the acquisition of Headingley and the cricket income streams could still be done.

"If Leeds CFAC were prepared to work with the club to find a way forward which could be funded, with the support of a substantial benefactor's injection, then a successful outcome could possibly be achieved," he said.

"The price might be less than that which Leeds CFAC's commercial standpoint has produced but a deal could be done and the benefits for Yorkshire cricket - and therefore for cricket more widely in the UK - would be beyond measure and enduring. It is the club's wish that negotiations continue on that basis."

Smith said that Yorkshire had a 999-year lease at Headingley and the club would continue to run successfully under it. Every endeavour would me made to work co-operatively with the management and staff of Leeds CFAC who had a great talent and for whom all at Yorkshire had considerable respect.

Yorkshire chief executive Colin Graves, who was hoping to purchase Headingley through a new company, said: "It only means that what we thought were confidential and outgoing negotiations are now out in the open."

Updated: 10:30 Wednesday, January 19, 2005