ALTHOUGH Yorkshire's hopes of promotion in the Championship have now all but disappeared they will still complete the season unbeaten away from home if they avoid defeat in their game against Somerset which began at Taunton today.

Yorkshire opened the season with an emphatic home win against Essex at Headingley but their only victories since then were in consecutive matches at Chelmsford and Riverside, the remainder of their away games being drawn.

Four out of five of them were badly affected by the weather and the Somerset match may also be distrupted by rain in the later stages if the weather forecast is to be believed.

Yorkshire did not go into the game with a draw in mind, however, because they knew they must beat Somerset to avoid the risk of finishing the season in the lower part of the table.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire's purchase of Headingley cricket ground from their landlords, Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, continues to be subjected to delays.

Earlier in the year, it was anticipated that the deal would be completed by June but that date came and went and now it seems certain that later predictions that everything would be settled this month will also be wide of the mark.

Even if Yorkshire reach agreement with Leeds CFAC and have the necessary funding in place, they still need to call an extraordinary general meeting to gain the approval of members and there is no sign of this taking place over the next few weeks.

Updated: 10:52 Friday, September 10, 2004