LEADING last season's wooden spoonists out against reigning champions Yorkshire in their own backyard may not seem the ideal introduction to the Durham captaincy.

But after confidently setting out his lofty plan to finally break the White Rose county's dominance in the Northern Counties championship, new captain Ted Kirtley remains confident going into today's opener at Moortown.

"The players are up for the challenge," he said.

"Yorkshire are the best team in the country, but to be the best you have to beat the teams like Yorkshire.

"They are the acid test and we will have to match them in all departments."

For such a challenge Kirtley has named virtually an unchanged side from the one that lost narrowly to a British Universities side replete with amateur internationals last month during Durham's pre-season build-up.

Shorn of youngsters such as Robert Dinwiddie and Andrew Allen, currently on scholarships in America, Durham - who failed to record a single win last season - will largely be relying on regulars such as former Cumbrian champion John Kirkpatrick and Consett's Mark Ridley, the reigning Durham amateur champion.

The team also boasts the talents of current matchplay champion David Vest and Daniel Hair, the 1999 Durham Youth champion.

"We are very confident," said Kirtley, who succeeded Peter Durno as Durham skipper earlier this year.

"I was very encouraged by the way we played during pre-season. With the help of pro John Harrison we have worked on the players' short games and the results have been encouraging.

"We were unlucky to lose to the professionals and only lost by one point to a very strong University side. But for a disastrous morning session we would have won the match."

Indeed, Durham lost the morning foursomes 5-1 and despite a huge improvement in the afternoon singles could not make up the early deficit.

But any thought of going back to the drawing board was quickly dismissed by Kirtley.

"I am very happy with the pairings I put out and I am not going to panic and start changing things now.

"You don't go out to lose any match and against Yorkshire we will have our work cut out, but I believe we can win."

Durham: M Ridley (Consett); J Kennedy (Consett); J Kirkpatrick (Darlington); D Hair (Wearside); D Vest (Wearside); A W Black (G Washington); A C Blythe (Eaglescliffe); J Harper (Seaton Carew); H Hamilton (Seaton Carew); D Whales (Bishop Auckland); H MacDonald (Chester-le-Street); P Crosby (Durham City).

* The first round draw for the Clarke Cup is:

1 Dinsdale Spa v Barnard Castle; 2 Tyneside v The Wynyard; 3 Ravensworth v Billingham; 4 Bishop Auckland v George Washington; 5 Birtley v Hartlepool; 6 Blackwell Grange v Brancepeth Castle; 7 Boldon v The Ramside; 8 Houghton-le-Spring v Woodham; 9 Seaton Carew v Castle Eden; 10 Heworth v Garesfield; 11 Ryton v Hydro; 12 Crook v Consett; 13 Oakleaf v Durham City; 14 Wearside v South Shields; 15 Whickham v Hobson; 16 Chester-le-Street v South Moor.

TSGU Inter-Club League: Division One (May 15): Hartlepool v Middlesbrough; Bishop Auckland v Billingham; Castle Eden v Seaton Carew; Free Week Eaglescliffe.

Division Two: Cleveland v Catterick; Darlington v Teesside; Middlesbrough Municipal v Saltburn; Free Week Richmond.

Division Three: Hunley Hall v Barnard Castle; Wynyard v Blackwell Grange; Wilton v Dinsdale Spa.