Yorkshire players past and present are expected to forge much stronger links if the seal of approval is given to the formation of the club's first Players' Association, writes David Warner.

Around 90 out of 140 ex-players have responded positively, and almost half will attend a lunch and meeting at Headingley next Sunday, when the association is expected to be officially launched.

Bob Appleyard, Jimmy Binks, Brian Close, Geoff Cope, John Hampshire, Richard Hutton, Martyn Moxon, Ken Taylor and Don Wilson are among the former Yorkshire and England players who will be present.

Although Geoff Boycott cannot attend, he has said he fully approves of the idea and would be delighted to be a member. Others who have said they will attend include Brian Bainbridge, Mike Bore, Dickie Bird, and Chris Wood.

The association is the brainchild of Bryan Stott and Cope, who is the club's director of operations.

"When I played for Yorkshire between 1952-63 there seemed to be a closer bond between past and present players and we were able to pick up a lot of useful advice from the older ones," said Stott.

"As well as being coached by Arthur Mitchell and Maurice Leyland I can remember talking to the likes of Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe at Bradford Park Avenue and going to sit next to the great Wilfred Rhodes at Scarborough.

"Often in the course of conversation they would mention a fault they had spotted in your play and would be able to advise in a quiet manner on how to put it right.

"It could be of enormous help and I was always grateful for such friendly assistance from people who really knew the game.

"Unfortunately, the links between past and present players seem to have faded away."