Yorkshire must go flat out for victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston today in the penultimate Championship match of the season if they are to cling on to their slender chance of avoiding relegation.

Defeat for Yorkshire would automatically condemn the Champions to Second Division cricket next season and even if the game is drawn they need to take 11 points from it to stay afloat at least until next week's final game against Kent at Headingley.

Bowling out Warwickshire twice will be a tall order for a pace attack which is missing Darren Gough, Matthew Hoggard, Chris Silverwood and Craig White.

Injury has forced White to withdraw from the England squad for the ICC Challenge Trophy in Sri Lanka and doubts over his long term fitness have also resulted in him being ignored for the Ashes series in Australia.

It is ironic that White's international career appears to be on the downward slope at a time when his batting alone is almost worth an England place for him.

White forced his way back into the England team this summer against all the odds and now he must wait to see if he is wanted for the World Cup in South Africa next February.

Yorkshire's attack against Warwickshire will be spearheaded by Ryan Sidebottom, who has been trying to shrug off a sore throat over the past few days, and Steven Kirby.

The pair are involved in a battle, along with off-spinner Richard Dawson, to see which of them will finish the season as the leading wicket-taker - all three are level with 33 dismissals each.

The match is also an important one for opener Scott Richardson who has been preferred to the out-of-form Chris Taylor. Richardson hopes to make an impact in order to safeguard his future at the club.

Meanwhile, the provisional dates for next year's Scarborough Cricket Festival have already been scrapped only a few days after this year's event coming to a close.

Yorkshire and Scarborough have agreed that the Festival will take place from Wednesday, August 13, to Sunday, August 17.