Yorkshire's bowlers struggled in the Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston today after Steven Kirby had struck an early blow to become their leading wicket-taker of the season.

Skipper Mike Powell and Tony Frost then hit back with an unbroken second-wicket stand of 94 which took Warwickshire to 111-1 after 27 overs.

Early morning mist and a heavy dew meant there was plenty of assistance for the bowlers but the sun soon started to break through.

Yorkshire surprisingly left out Scott Richardson who had replaced Chris Taylor in the squad.

They made two changes from the side which played Leicestershire at Scarborough last week, Anthony McGrath, back from a knee injury, and Sheriff Hutton's Nick Thornicroft replacing Taylor and Andy Gray.

Kirby and Ryan Sidebottom shared the new ball against Powell and Mark Wagh and twice Powell flicked Sidebottom to the square leg boundary before Kirby struck in the fifth over with the score on 17 by bowling Wagh with a good delivery.

The dismissal moved Kirby's total Championship wicket haul to 34, one ahead of the other leading contenders, Sidebottom and Richard Dawson.

A boundary for Frost moved Warwickshire on to 36-1 in ten overs at which stage Thornicroft took over from Kirby and McGrath replaced Sidebottom.

The second wicket pair grew ever more confident and Powell ran three off Kirby to canter to his 50 off 81 balls with six fours, while Frost pulled Dawson for four to raise the century in the 24th over.

Defeat for Yorkshire will automatically condemn the Champions to Second Division cricket next season and even if the game is drawn they need to take 11 points from it to stay afloat at least until next week's final game against Kent at Headingley.

Meanwhile, the provisional dates for next year's Scarborough Cricket Festival have already been scrapped only a few days after this year's event closed.

Scores of Yorkshire fans spent last weekend trying to make hotel bookings from September 3-7 and many were disappointed because the dates clash with the Walker Cup golf at nearby Ganton.

Now Yorkshire and Scarborough have agreed that the Festival will take place from Wednesday, August 13, to Sunday, August 17.

Yorkshire's first visit to Scarborough next summer will be from July 23 to July 27, but none of the county's opponents will be known until the England and Wales Cricket Board confirm the fixtures at a later date.

Updated: 15:01 Thursday, September 12, 2002