It is a timely boost for beleaguered Yorkshire whose Northern Counties League hopes were as good as ended with their defeat by leaders Lancashire last month – their second loss in three outings.

Mathematically, they could still be champions but would have to rely heavily on others making unlikely slips.

And better news still for Yorkshire captain Andy King is that Uzzell, the English stroke-play champion and winner of the Russian Amateur, says he will also be available for the Northern Counties Team championship on the Isle of Man on August 16.

Yorkshire need to win that six-man team stroke-play event at Castletown in order to defend the English County Championship at Hollinwell in September.

Hornsea Uzzell's, the best left-hander in the land, followed his Brabazon Trophy triumph by a wire- to-wire win in Moscow and that earned him a first European Tour start in the Russian Open.

There he would have earned almost 60,000 euros for a share of 43rd place – if he had been a pro.

This will be his last year with Yorkshire as he intends turning professional and attending the European Tour qualifying school at the end of the season.

"It's great to have Steve back after the recent loss of Gareth Evans, who has been a great servant to Yorkshire.

"We have also lost Marcus Armitage to the professional game following Danny Willett making the same move early in the season," said county skipper King who also has other players unavailable this week.

It will be a tough test against Cumbria on a course that Yorkshire have not played before, and Cumbria could have Gary Wolstenholme, the former British Amateur champion and England's most capped player, on duty following his move to the North West from Leicestershire.

Yorkshire will have county champion Richard Law playing his first match – the Dewsbury teenager missed the Roses match due to holidays – and hand a league debut to Sheffield youngster James Smedley.

The Hallowes player, best individual with rounds of 71 67 at Wheatley when his club won the Sheffield Team championship, played in three non-league matches, against Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in early season, and won all his six matches by good margins, including an 8 and 7 singles win against Derbyshire.

Yorkshire: S Uzzell (Hornsea), D Appleyard (South Leeds), M Evans (Rotherham), D Booth (Rotherham), A Hodkin (Wheatley), S Brennan (Wheatley), M Brown (Pike Hills), A Best (Cleveland), R Law (Low Laithes), T Usher (Baildon), J Smedley (Hallowes), N McCarthy (Moortown).

Meanwhile, Nick McCarthy shot six under par 64 in the first round of the Northern Youths championship at Middlesbrough which placed the Moortown player a stroke behind leader Matt Nixon.

Horsforth's`Geoff Lee holed in one at the short 10th at West End, Halifax as he and Nick Fournier posted 36 points to win a fourball match during an exchange visits.

Earlier in the day, Horsforth's Ron Turnbull, Fane Pike and David Booth made 51 points in winning a three-man, two scores to count, event played over 11 holes.

Finally, the final of the Leeds Union Charity Fourball, abandoned at Waterton Park because of heavy rain, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 12 when original start times will apply.