It hasn't taken Craig White long in his benefit season to prove beyond any doubt that he is the most successful all-rounder in one-day cricket that Yorkshire have ever had.

His knock of 93 against Leicestershire in the B&H match on Wednesday took him beyond 4,000 runs in all forms of limited overs matches and his dismissal of Durham opener Andrew Pratt the following brought him his 200th wicket.

Astonishingly, one-day has now been around at county level for almost 40 years and no other Yorkshire player has ever got anywhere near White's combined figures with bat and ball.

The leading wicket-taker among the all-rounders is Chris Old with 306 dismissals but the Middlesbrough-born former England player could only manage 2,550 runs which is 1,500 short of White's tally.

Another consistent performer was Phil Carrick with 2,141 runs and 236 wickets which is two more wickets that the current tally of Darren Gough who has scored 1,083 runs.

Graham Stevenson, who had natural talent in abundance and would have been a sensation in this day and age if properly handled, bagged 290 wickets and hit 1,699 runs, while Peter Hartley boasts similar statistics with 280 wickets and 1,609 runs.

Gavin Hamilton last season joined the 1,000 runs and 100 wickets club but his figures of 1,028 runs and 118 wickets have not yet been added to this time because poor form has kept him out of the B&H matches.

The other two to achieve at least 1,000 runs and 100 wickets are Arnie Sidebottom (1,273 and 258) and Richard Hutton (1,015 and 128).

White's two sparkling knocks against Leicestershire and Durham this week were exactly what he wanted to show England that they cannot afford to forget that he is still around.

He had a mixed winter abroad with England, first informing Duncan Fletcher that he could not be relied upon to bowl as quickly as in the past but then plundering a brilliant maiden century in the second Test against India at Ahmedabad to earn the man-of-the-match award for his 121 off 265 balls with 12 fours and two sixes.

White was left out of the Tests in New Zealand, where he picked up the groin injury which caused him to miss the start of the Yorkshire season, and then he learned that his central contract had not been renewed.

He has admitted that this came as a blow to him but he has now demonstrated once again that there are few better one-day players around when the mood is with him.

England's Hoggard risk

YORKSHIRE club chairman Keith Moss and cricket chairman Bob Platt were both absolutely right to kick up a fuss over Matthew Hoggard being allowed by England to play for Baildon last weekend but banned from turning out for his county in the first three B&H matches.

What an absolute nonsense to prevent a cricketer from playing in a one-day county match when he is just itching to get back into the thick of the action.

The farcical situation is not Hoggard's fault, of course, and Yorkshire are delighted that he wants to take every opportunity he can of playing cricket ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka which begins at Lord's on Thursday week.

Hoggard now has only two or three one-day games and a Championship fixture against Somerset at Taunton in which to work his way into top form for the Test match. If these games are badly hit by the weather and Hoggard turns out to be under-prepared then England have only themselves to blame.

Test stars make return

YORKSHIRE welcomed back England duo Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard for their Benson and Hedges Cup match against Derbyshire at Derby today.

The duo were under instructions to rest up for the first two weeks of the season but now they are free to play for Yorkshire in the last two qualifying matches of the B&H and the Championship game against Somerset at Taunton next week.

They know that they need to strike good form in order to win places in the England side for the first Test against Sri Lanka which begins at Lord's on Thursday week.

Vaughan has had a complete break, apart from a few nets and the daily two-hour physical fitness programme which has been a requirement of all the England players.

He said: "It is the start of a new season and I am bound to be a little bit rusty but I hope to get plenty of time in the middle for Yorkshire over the next few days. Some of the England players have said they would have liked to have turned out for their counties earlier but I have found the break very beneficial."

Updated: 10:11 Saturday, May 04, 2002