England captain Michael Vaughan made the ideal start to his new season with a solid half-century for Yorkshire in their six-wicket win over Ireland in Belfast yesterday in the first round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.

Vaughan put on 91 for the first wicket with Ian Harvey and then 65 for the second with Phil Jaques before being caught behind by Jeremy Bray off Gordon Cooke.

By that time Yorkshire were well on their way to the 202 they required for victory and a home tie with either Scotland or Worcestershire at Headingley on May 17.

The win was no formality, however, after Ireland had resumed their innings with great determination in the morning and Yorkshire only had 14 balls to spare by the time they nosed ahead.

Neither did Yorkshire come away unscathed because Matthew Wood had to go to hospital for three stitches in his left knee after spiking it with his boot while trying to cut off a boundary.

He was able to come in at the fall of the fourth wicket and keep Jaques company.

Having reduced Ireland to 33 for three on the first rain-hit day, Yorkshire may have expected the slide to continue.

But Eoin Morgan and Peter Gillespie soon put paid to that idea by each recording half-centuries and making their fourth-wicket stand worth 113 before Craig White brought himself on to spoil the fun.

White is in the form of his life in one-day cricket and he knocked back the stumps of both batsmen and went on to take the next two wickets to finish with four for 43 off ten overs, his second best figures in the competition.

Harvey set the pace in his opening partnership with Vaughan and had made 57 from 59 balls with nine fours when he was caught by Gillespie off Kyle McCallan.

But Yorkshire continued to dominate as Jaques settled in nicely with Vaughan.

Quick to find his touch in his first match since England's final one-day international in South Africa in mid-February, Vaughan completed his own half-century but when he had got to 58 from 92 deliveries, with three fours, he was caught behind.

Michael Lumb and Anthony McGrath did not last long as Yorkshire approached the finishing line.

When the winning runs were hit Jaques had scored 55 off 89 balls with two fours and a six.

Yorkshire have named an unchanged squad for their Championship match against Northamptonshire, which starts at Headingley tomorrow.

A decision will be taken later on whether Wood will be fit to play.