YORKSHIRE CCC at times seemed unable to take the strain during 2005 but they were eventually held together by a golden thread in the form of third place in the Second Division Championship table.

That was sufficient to give them promotion in the most important of all the competitions and having made it by the skin of their teeth they are now determined to be a force to be reckoned with next season.

The signing of Australian pace ace Jason Gillespie has boosted confidence and the new-ball pairing of Gillespie and South African Kolpak player Deon Kruis should give Yorkshire one of the sharpest opening attacks in county cricket.

Gillespie is still smarting from being axed by Australia during last summer's Ashes series after claiming 251 Test wickets for his country and in recent weeks he has vent his fury by turning in some dynamic performances for his State side South Australia, who are captained by Yorkshire's evergreen overseas batsman Darren Lehmann.

Already this season Gillespie has weighed in with 20 first-class wickets, including a match haul of 10-67 against Victoria, and just before Christmas his career record in all first-class matches was 658 wickets at just 25.36 runs apiece.

"I am delighted with his form and just hope that he continues in this vein when he joins up with us in mid-April," said Yorkshire's director of cricket David Byas, who believes the county are capable of emulating Nottinghamshire's achievement last summer of winning the Championship in their first season after promotion.

With Gillespie firing away from one end and Kruis from the other, Yorkshire fans should have plenty to cheer about, particularly if Kruis can repeat last season's sparkling form when he was easily the Tykes' leading wicket-taker with 64 dismissals.

Yorkshire's firepower does not rest entirely in the hands of Gillespie and Kruis, however, because the ever-improving Tim Bresnan will be itching to overtake his 47 wickets last summer when he and Kruis went through the whole season without once breaking down.

England's Matthew Hoggard will add further depth to the attack whenever England boss Duncan Fletcher allows him to play, and captain Craig White is also hoping to bowl much more often now that he has had a 'cleaning' operation on his troublesome knee.

It will be a big season for White who has been given a third year in charge, despite injuries having severely limited his bowling over the past two years. Now 36, White must perform well with bat and ball, as well as guiding Yorkshire to some silverware if he is not to contemplate retirement at the end of the summer.

Although dropping himself from the one-day side last season because of his lack of all-round fitness, White still enjoyed playing for Yorkshire more than at any previous time in his career, and he will be looking to a helping hand in 2006 from his gifted brother-in-law Lehmann, who returns to the fray after resting up last summer.

Lehmann will also be 36 come February, but there are no signs yet that he is on the wane and against Western Australia a few weeks ago the most prolific batsman in State cricket history plundered a career-best unbeaten 301.

Lehmann recently competed in his 600th first-class match when his career tally of runs stood at 34,895 with 90 centuries and 190 fifties. Two or three more centuries this winter and Lehmann could even register his 100th century while batting for Yorkshire.

Yorkshire's three players from abroad, plus White, who was brought up in Australia, will play a big part in Yorkshire's bid for honours, but someone from much nearer home who should make a considerable impact is Bradford-born Anthony McGrath.

The 2005 season proved to be McGrath's most profitable so far when he completed 1,000 first-class runs for the first time and went on to become his native county's heaviest scorer with 1,425 at a healthy average of 59.37.

There were times when McGrath so dominated events in the middle that one wondered if England had discarded him far too soon. On Yorkshire's visit in November to the World Cricket Academy in Mumbai former Indian Test batsman Hanumant Singh was puzzled why he had not been chosen for the tour of Pakistan.

It may be too late for an England recall for McGrath but he can console himself by knowing that he may well go on to become one of the most successful home-grown Yorkshire batsmen of recent times.

Despite having strengthened their bowling attack by signing up Gillespie and also bringing in an experienced wicketkeeper in Northamptonshire's Gerard Brophy, Yorkshire know that they still have to lay a few ghosts.

Their one-day cricket last term was nothing short of miserable. They suffered a semi-final thrashing by Hampshire in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy and they ended the Sunday League with a record eight consecutive defeats.

But that's all behind them and if the many younger players also come through then Yorkshire should have enough strength-in-depth to compete effectively in all competitions.

Updated: 10:14 Wednesday, December 21, 2005