YORKSHIRE wicketkeeper-batsman Gerard Brophy has broken his left index finger and has been pulled out of today's Liverpool Victoria Championship encounter with Sussex at Headingley, his place being taken by Simon Guy.

Brophy did the damage while keeping wicket at Edgbaston last week but only yesterday was it discovered that he had sustained a slight fracture and he is now waiting to hear the extent of the injury and how long he may be sidelined.

Director of cricket David Byas said: "Gerard is bitterly disappointed and he was prepared to play but we cannot expect his injury to get better quickly if he does that."

Yorkshire will have to be at their best if they are to register their first win of the season. While they were making a record losing score of 433 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston last week, Sussex were already celebrating a convincing victory over highly-rated Hampshire to push them into third place in the table.

They enjoy a 17 points lead over Yorkshire who must win this game if they are to make up lost ground and get among the leaders.

It is the first meeting between the two sides in four years and Yorkshire have to go back to 1997 for their last home victory against Sussex when they beat them by nine wickets at Headingley.

Yorkshire's hero was fast bowler Chris Silverwood, now with Middlesex, who claimed 4-27 in the first innings and 5-59 in the second to give him splendid match figures of 9-86.

Darren Lehmann (150), Anthony McGrath (84) and Michael Lumb (71) all found good form in the second innings at Edgbaston but the bowling continued to look ordinary and Yorkshire are banking on Matthew Hoggard making his presence felt over the next few days.

Sussex had several players going into the game approaching notable milestones. Left-hander Murray Goodwin needs a further 108 runs to take him to 7,000 in first class matches, all-rounder Robin Martin-Jenkins wants 136 for 5,000 and Pakistan's leg-spin magician, Mushtaq Ahmed, requires 11 more wickets to take his tally to an astonishing 1,200.

Yorkshire from: Wood, Sayers, McGrath, Lumb, Lehmann, White, Guy, Bresnan, Dawson, Gillespie, Hoggard, Blain.

Sussex from: Hopkinson, Montgomerie, Goodwin, Yardy, Adams, Martin-Jenkins, Prior, Naved-ul-Hasan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Kirtley, Lewry, Rayner.

Updated: 10:20 Wednesday, May 03, 2006