By Kevin Howells BBC Sport

The Norwich Union League match against Somerset, which ended in a climatic one-run win for Yorkshire, was exactly the start the season needed.

So often the pitches used are slow and lifeless, offering low scoring games - clearly not the entertaining spectacle the players or sponsors want for the desired family day out.

In the case of Taunton, head groundsman Phil Frost is to be congratulated as only four days earlier Yorkshire skipper Darren Lehman had publicly criticised the Championship pitch for being too wet.

One can only imagine Phil's thoughts as 613 runs were smashed on the Sunday.

It was not a day to be a bowler, and Matthew Wood's second century in succession was a fine effort after the painful blow he took above the eye at Derby in a B&H match the previous weekend.

Wood suffered another blow at the start of his innings at Taunton, this time to another part of the body, but this one would have brought tears and not stiches to the eyes.

Yorkshire's kit was late arriving

Why is it other players always laugh when someone takes a nasty delivery 'half way down'. It must be nerves.

Wood is struggling to get going in the Championship which must be a puzzle to him when he can score so well in the one-day game.

Meanwhile, one real concern for Lehmann last week was what do if their colourful NUL kit failed to turn up by the Sunday. On the Tuesday before the match it was still in Bahrain.

Vaughan's new visage

Thankfully it arrived at the team hotel on the Friday and apart from some rather baggy looking trousers all was well.

But what would have happened if that last minute dash down the M5 by a member of the Yorkshire office staff had gone wrong. Playing the game with a white ball would have mean't it being impossible for the side to have played in their whites and even if that had been accepted a big fine would surely have been applied.

Wearing last season's strip wasn't an option so their was a slim chance Yorkshire would have forfeited the match. Close but thankfully crisis averted.

Like Queen Victoria, Vaughan was not amused

Teams have strange ways of bonding these days. Facial hair was the order of things for Yorkshire last week in the South west.

For England batsman Michael Vaughan, it wasn't much fun. His growth which covered all parts of the face, bar the chin, had the look of someone who has just walked off the set of the ' Forsyte Saga'.

Anyone who stared too long was met with a growled "What are you looking at" from the normally placid Vaughan.

No wonder he was so delighted to hear his name included in England's first test squad and you can imagine him rushing into Taunton service station to have a shave on his way to Lord's.

Defending the County Championship title is a serious matter.

Aside from former captain David Byas, this is the same team that won the crown last year and yet one or two of them are not performing well.

Gavin Hamilton returned to the seconds this week suffering from loss of form and confidence and Steve Kirby is struggling to get the ball straight let alone take wickets.

With only 16 matches in a season it doesn't allow for too many errors to be made too often.

Although coach Wayne Clark demanded 10 per cent more from the players this season he might now settle for just the same as he had last year.

Yorkshire Uncovered can be heard fortnightly on Thursdays on BBC Radio Five Live's Ian Payne Show (7.00-10.00pm). Next instalment: 23 May.