CRAIG White's return from injury was cut short by rain at Riverside yesterday just as the Yorkshire captain was tuning up impressively for next Saturday's C & G Trophy semi-final against Gloucestershire.

After electing to bat White hit four fours in reaching 25 out of Yorkshire's total of 40 for no wicket in nine overs.

There were 34 minutes of play and two hours later all hope of a resumption was abandoned, two points going to each side to leave Yorkshire second in the totesport League division two.

It was a bigger blow to Durham, who started the match in fourth place and needed a win to revive their promotion hopes.

But the early signs were that they would struggle as they again had to field the only 11 fit and available players from their full-time staff of 18.

England captain Michael Vaughan was the only player Yorkshire were unable to call upon other than Darren Lehmann, who returns from Australia late this week and will replace Phil Jaques for the C & G semi-final.

Yorkshire left out Steve Kirby and Chris Silverwood and included Matthew Hoggard in their line-up as he begins his attempt to prove his fitness for the Test series against West Indies.

It could be a different Durham line-up they face when they return to Chester-le-Street for the final Twenty20 group game on Thursday. By then Marcus North and Paul Collingwood should be fit, Stephen Harmison is available and Andy Blignaut should have arrived from Zimbabwe.

Matthew Wood struggled in the first over against Neil Killeen yesterday and survived two appeals for lbw before running the last ball to third man for a single.

But in Killeen's next over White hit a lofted straight drive for the first of his boundaries then cracked a back-foot four through the covers off Graham Onions.

Two more lofted drives, one over extra cover off Onions, flew to the rope as White made his runs off 26 balls, leaving Wood well behind on eight when the rain came.

l Gavin Hamilton hopes to help the Durham A team qualify for the Second X1 Trophy semi-finals today and boost his own chances of a first team return.

Durham have won six out of seven matches in the competition, but they lost away to Derbyshire and need to avenge that defeat at Norton today to be sure of going through.

Hamilton played in the three games last week and bowled for the first time since his thumb operation at the end of April.

"It has been horrendous," he said. "It could not have come at a worse time for me because I was progressing every time I played in my attempt to get back on track.

"I was fielding at second slip against Nottinghamshire when the ball landed just short and hit my thumb. It was still tender next day, so I had it looked at and two days later they operated on it.

"Obviously I want to get back in the first team before the end of the season and the ball's coming out quite well when I bowl. I've conceded a few runs in the one-dayers, but there's also a three-day game this week against Lancashire at South Northumberland, which will be a good test for me.

"It's like being back in pre-season, but I just have to get on with it and hope to pick it up over the next couple of weeks."

Durham gave the all-rounder a one-year contract after his bowling nightmares during his last two seasons with Yorkshire, and coach Martyn Moxon felt second team cricket would be little use to Hamilton as he had a season of that last year.

But he was injured two weeks into the season and now has only two months to stake his claim for a contract extension.

He scored 60 in the defeat by Derbyshire seconds at Sandiacre but was run out for 12 against Yorkshire at York.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, his recovery coincides with several other players coming back to fitness, with Marcus North and Paul Collingwood expected to return shortly, quickly followed by Nicky Peng.

The best the 29-year-old Scot can hope for is to get into the team for the next championship match at home to Derbyshire on Wednesday week at the expense of Graeme Bridge if Durham decide there is no point in playing two spinners.