England captain Vaughan's ongoing quest for runs ends rather too quickly

By the time selector James Whitaker diverted to Headingley, the England captain was already out.

Brief encounter: Vaughan shows his frustration after being dismissed for 19

The tour of New Zealand was not a vintage one for the 33- year-old as he contributed just 123 runs at an average of 20.5.

In response to the slump, Vaughan has declared his intention to swap places with Andrew Strauss at the top of the order so that he can reclaim his favoured No 3 position.

He opened for Yorkshire against Hampshire and there were fleeting reminders of his graceful authority at the crease after an early scare.

Having made just three, a delivery from Kiwi paceman Shane Bond struck the splice of his bat and flew to short leg but Michael Brown could not cling on to the catch.

Making the most of his reprieve, Vaughan soon began to cut loose. Out came the trademark shots — a glorious drive to the cover boundary to reach double figures, then a dismissive pulled four, before another imperious off-side drive.

Three fours in four balls, off a world-class fast bowler. He was motoring. But then composure deserted him and the fun was over. A slightly wider delivery from Bond was attacked with relish, only for Vaughan to edge to third slip.

He would have preferred three hours of toil rather than a return of 19 from 35 balls. "Time in the middle" is the holy grail for England batsmen at this stage of a season and with three weeks to go until the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's, Vaughan has a maximum of three more championship innings.

But at least there were encouraging signs to seize upon. Yorkshire cricket director Martyn Moxon was upbeat about what he had witnessed, saying: "He looked fantastic so it was a shame he couldn't go on.

"The pleasing thing from his point of view was that he looked in good shape, his balance looked good and his footwork looked sharp.

"He's been working really hard in the nets and hopefully he'll get some more time in the middle in the second innings."

The remaining members of England's top three were in action yesterday but they were unable to produce a significant statement of intent ahead of the Test series.

Alastair Cook made 27 from 64 balls for Essex at Derby while Strauss followed his mammoth one-day hundred on Sunday with a modest return of 36 for Middlesex against Glamorgan at Lord's.

Among the challengers for places in the Test XI, Owais Shah fell for a duck at Lord's but Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara continued to mount a case for an England recall.

After being dropped for the series in New Zealand, the 22- year-old registered a second century in successive Championship matches — his 136 helping his side rally from 76 for five before closing on 269 for nine.