Rain men Gough and Moxon revive the White Rose

Rain is falling at Headingley and the umpires have announced, with the customary expression of regret, that the match has been abandoned. For Yorkshire it is the fourth time in a row that an opportunity to stretch their lead in the County Championship has been wrecked by the weather. Menacingly, Sussex sit only 11 points behind, with a game in hand. Yet the twinkle in the eye of Darren Gough is undimmed.

Just as he is a cricketer never to be written off, so he is a captain not easily discouraged. "I reminded the lads this morning to look at where we are," he said. "Who would have thought that after 10 games Yorkshire would be top of the table? I don't think anybody would. Except me. I always thought we would be somewhere up there. We had some good players, all they lacked was the belief. We are all disappointed when we are in a good position in a game and we wake up in the morning to rain, but at the start of the season we would have settled for where we are now."

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Thus the game against Surrey went the way of those against Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire before, compromised by the elements to the extent that, even though both parties had been willing, finding a way to avoid a draw was never really on. Today they try again at Scarborough, where Kent provide the opposition.

Meanwhile, Sussex are at the Rose Bowl to take on Hampshire. The lead could change hands if the weather decides to favour one or the other. Even if it does, though, Yorkshire will still believe the title can still be theirs.

Gough is one half of the partnership; the other is Martyn Moxon. They were brought together by accident, in a way, after Chris Adams, who had led Sussex to the 2003 title as well as last year's, was headhunted by Yorkshire and agreed last November to become both captain and director of cricket, but then changed his mind. Yorkshire were shell-shocked then. Now they wonder whether fate was actually being kind.

The man who did take the director of cricket role behind Gough as captain is 10 years older than the former England bowler, but shares with him a background in Barnsley and a solid Yorkshire pedigree interrupted by reluctant exile. "It is a good relationship," he says. "We work well together and his enthusiasm rubs off on everybody, he makes you want to come and be part of it.

"I don't think really you could have one person doing both jobs. There is so much involved off the field that the captain just needs to be able to focus on what he is doing on the field with the team, without having to worry about all the other things that need attending to."

Just as Gough returned from Essex after three seasons, Moxon, the former opening batsman, had been six years with Durham, in a similar management role. "It was not a case of me saying, 'Oh yes, definitely', when Yorkshire offered me the job," he said. "I'd enjoyed my time with Durham and we were just beginning to get a competitive team together, so I had to think long and hard about leaving that.

"But ultimately I felt it was the right decision for me and it has been a pretty seamless transition. The reaction from players and public to Darren and myself was fantastic. The players have responded to what we have asked. It has gone pretty well."

Given the sour atmosphere that had developed in the Yorkshire dressing room before their arrival, it could hardly have made things worse. Several players had left and others were considering their futures. Anthony McGrath, the talented and experienced all-rounder, was so determined to go he was prepared to go to court to break his contract. But Gough persuaded him to stay, promising better times, and so far he and Moxon have delivered.

"Everybody is working together, wanting each other to do well and that's what I was trying to create when I came in, that team ethic," Gough said. "You can see that on the field. When someone does well, everybody congratulates them. Everybody believes they belong in the Yorkshire side."

Moxon echoes that thought. "The most pleasing thing has been the attitude of the players, the way they have worked," he said. "The work ethic and the desire has been there. It is something we have not had to force. If you have good players and they have the right attitude, you have the makings of a decent team.

"The experienced players have done their job but young lads like Joe Sayers and Adil Rashid have come in and done really well. The challenge for the future is winning but, at the same time, developing players so you can build a team that is going to be successful for the next 10 years."

Perhaps the most important contributor, though, has been Gough himself. "Doing his job" hardly does him justice. His six wickets against Surrey raised his Championship tally to 29 at 17.96, which for a 36-year-old widely assumed to be suspect of limb is more than respectable.

"It is only in England that age seems to matter," he said. "I've never doubted myself, it is you guys [the media] that put doubt in people's minds. I've always believed I had the ability, always knew I could play as many games as I wanted. I'm enjoying captaining. It brings the best out of me. I feel fit and strong, I've got no knee problems and as you have seen today I'm not just bowling three or four-over spells, I'm bowling long spells - 21 overs this game. But I'm fine and I'll be ready to go at Scarborough."

Moxon is no less confident in him. "He is like a spring chicken," he said. "He has retained all his enthusiasm, he still loves playing cricket and that rubs off on the team. He has bags of experience and that shows in his captaincy and the way he handles the players. He has been fantastic."

But will it be enough for a title in his first season in charge? "We are going to have to take more risks," Gough says. "We deserve to be top because we have played well but it is unfortunate that in four of the last five games we have only played two days' cricket; that's no excuse, that's just a fact. We are going to have to take more risks because, if you look at Lancashire and Sussex, they have got that x-factor in Muralitharan and Mushtaq Ahmed. I've got what I call a mini-x in Adil Rashid. Hopefully, he will come to the party as the season goes on."

Moxon worries about more rain, not least because four of Yorkshire's six remaining fixtures are in the North and another, of all places, is scheduled for flooded New Road, Worcester, although it looks certain it will be moved elsewhere.

"We cannot do anything about the weather and it is a threat," he said. "But the good thing is that we have to play all the other teams in contention so our fate is in our hands to that extent."

Nowhere will that be truer, it seems likely, than at Hove in September, when Adams and Sussex play host. If there is a game to come with guaranteed edge, it is that one.

Title Tykes: The trio driving Yorkshire on

Adil Rashid

Exciting 19-year-old leg-spinner is Yorkshire's second leading Championship wicket taker this season - behind Gough - with 27. Has also chipped in with the bat, making his highest first-class score of 91 against Surrey this week. Is tipped to be called up by England to tour Sri Lanka this winter.

Joe Sayers

Left-hand opener is Boycott-esque in terms of crease occupation and was key to Yorkshire's early-season victories with three tons. Hit top score of 187 v Kent and made 159 unbeaten in win over Durham. The local 23-year-old is second to Jacques Rudolph at the top of the season's run list with 608 at 46.76.

Anthony McGrath

The 31-year-old all-rounder, who played four Tests for England, has weighed in with big runs over the last month to keep Yorkshire top of the table. Has 607 runs at 50.58 and two hundreds. Fine contribution by a player who looked to be leaving the county in the autumn after turning down the captaincy.