Gough - the smile has returned

County Cricket / Editor / 28 April 2007 / Leave a Comment

Yorkshire captain Darren Gough believes his club's early-season success is down to the laid-back attitude in the dressing room.

The 36-year-old returned to skipper his home county this season after three years at Essex and he has guided the side to back-to-back wins in their opening two Championship matches.

The Headingley outfit seemed in turmoil over the winter with former skipper Anthony McGrath threatening to leave, but Gough's return appears to have galvanized the squad with McGrath opting to stay and play under the former England paceman.

The Tykes saw off the challenge of Durham on Friday, wrapping up an easy nine-wicket victory over their northern rivals, with Matthew Hoggard claiming 5-32 and Gough chipping in with a wicket as Durham were dismissed for just 169 in their second knock.

Yorkshire sit ten points clear at the top of the table and Gough is in no doubt as to the reason why things have changed so dramatically in a short space of time.

"Since I came in, the response from all the players has been fantastic," he said. "It's all about trusting each other and working for each other.

"There are no rules, we're just enjoying ourselves and playing with a smile on our faces. But the intensity level is high."

Gough's men are next in action on Sunday when they travel north of the border to take on Scotland in the Friends Provident Trophy.

The Scots disappointed in the World Cup and will hope to bounce back in the domestic game, but Yorkshire will be strong favourites to continue their winning ways.

In a market yet to develop, Gough's charges are one of the fancied team to win the one-day competition this term with Scotland, unsurprisingly, the outsiders of the 20 sides.