Yorkshire'S new four-man management board deserve every praise for drip-feeding life back into the county after it appeared in danger of expiring until they took control a year ago.

They are rightly proud that £2m has now been wiped off the overdraft and, after losing £1.29m last year, Yorkshire are now heading for a projected profit of between £30,000-£50,000 for 2003.

And more good news was revealed with the announcement that around £25m is to be spent on the further redevelopment of Headingley, making it into one of England's finest Testvenues.

Chief executive Colin Graves stressed that the top priorities were to purchase the income streams at Headingley and then buy the ground from its owners, Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company - Yorkshire have never been able to earn a penny out of being tenants at Headingley rather than owning it.

The value of the ground is still unknown but Yorkshire know catering and advertising will bring in a profit of £1m a year.

Of course, once Yorkshire own the ground they will have to pay for its maintenance and repairs - and condemnation for any neglect will be on their heads.

But it will not be in Yorkshire's interests to let Headingley decline because they dare not lose Test cricket and they also want to use the complex for other money-making activities all the year round.

Yorkshire also need a successful team and the new management board have thus far been unable to produce that, even though they confidently predicted they would do so this season.

They have not been slow in pointing out that among the negative things they inherited when they took over was a team just relegated from the First Division of the County Championship.

But they failed to mention they also inherited a team which had just won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy and was sandwiched comfortably in Division One of the National League.

Yorkshire were quickly dispatched from the C&G Trophy by Worcestershire in late May and have been at the bottom of the National League for much of the season with relegation a possibility.

There is time yet for fortunes to improve on the field but Yorkshire are still some way short of boasting a team which will match the facilities that have been promised for Headingley by 2008.

In order to boost their fading hopes of promotion in the Championship, Yorkshire must beat Glamorgan in the match starting at Colwyn Bay today

It is Yorkshire's first ever visit to the seaside ground and they go with a good record in Wales, having won their last three matches.

They have been successful on four of their last seven visits with the other three games draws. They haven't lost since a remarkable game at Cardiff in 1987.

On the final day, Yorkshire used current coach Kevin Sharp and opening batsman Ashley Metcalfe as bowlers in order to facilitate a Glamorgan declaration and Matthew Maynard took full advantage with the fastest half-century in the club's history.

It came in 14 minutes and 19 balls, improving by one minute on Don Shepherd's half-century against the Australians in 1961, and in one over from Sharp - nicknamed Freddie Laker because he tossed the ball up so high - Maynard clattered him for 30 runs with three sixes and three fours.

Yorkshire were then set 281 in 66 overs but they were spun out for 207 by Rodney Ontong and Ravi Shastri, despite a fighting 55 from David Bairstow, batting with a fractured finger.