Darren Gough will thrash out his future with Yorkshire over the next few days after learning he has not been awarded one of the nine 12-month ECB central contracts.

Had Gough continued to be centrally contracted then Yorkshire would have been happy to renew his county contract because England would have paid all of his wages and the county club would have had his services for free whenever he was available.

But now Yorkshire will face a hefty bill if they decide to keep Gough and he is either unfit or does not play much Test cricket next season.

Although Gough said at the end of last summer that he did not want to stay with Yorkshire once his current contract expires later this year he has since intimated he wants to remain a Tyke.

But Gough will now have to convince Yorkshire chairman Geoff Cope of his commitment and also persuade the club that he will be fit enough next year to make it worth putting him on the payroll.

Gough's only appearances for Yorkshire this time have been in the quarter-final of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy and in the Roses clash at Headingley when he broke down half way through the game.

The good news for Gough was that he has been included in England's squad of 16 for the Ashes tour this winter - provided he can prove his fitness by the start of next month - along with Yorkshire colleagues Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Dawson.

Vaughan and Hoggard were automatic choices but Dawson confessed that he was slightly surprised to be making the trip.

Said Dawson, who is Yorkshire's joint leading wicket-taker with 33 dismissals: "I did not bowl well in the first half of the season but just as happened last year I have bowled better later on.

"I have never been to Australia before so I will have to wait until I get there to see if the pitches suit me but it is every player's dream to go on an Ashes tour and I am absolutely delighted."

The future is beginning to look bleak for Craig White who has had to pull out of the ICC tournament in Sri Lanka after suffering a side strain in the second Test against India.

White has not been included on the Ashes tour and must now be keeping his fingers crossed that he has impressed England sufficiently earlier this summer to win a place in the World Cup squad.

Updated: 11:56 Wednesday, September 11, 2002