IF David Byas has any doubts about his move from Yorkshire to Lancashire, he only needs to look at today's Championship table.

Lancashire are second, with 34 points from two matches after Byas's unbeaten 83 steered them to a six-wicket victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston yesterday.

Yorkshire, who were thrashed by an innings and 168 runs by Surrey at Headingley, are bottom.

Byas had made a slow start to his Lancashire career, with scores of 0, 24 and 4 raising fears that maybe Yorkshire's Aussie coach Wayne Clark had made the right decision in sending him back to his farm.

But Bingo came up trumps when it really mattered yesterday.

Lancashire needed 197 to win after Peter Martin and Glen Chapple had polished off the remains of the Warwickshire second innings, Martin ending with four for 41 to complete match figures of eight for 118.

That was a tricky target on a pitch which was due to be inspected by the ECB today.

But Mark Chilton and Alec Swann provided a solid start, then Byas laid into the Warwickshire bowling.

He steered Lancashire home with captain Warren Hegg in an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 70 and said: "Naturally it was a big thrill to contribute something.

"It's nice to get some runs but it was a great team effort. Everyone chipped in with something and we came out with a magnificent win."

Lancashire now take a break from Championship action for the qualifying round of the Benson and Hedges Cup, with the first of their five games at Derby tomorrow.

But after being tipped to struggle in the Championship, they have already eased fears of relegation - although they face the acid test in their next game, against Surrey at the Oval on Wednesday week.

Meanwhile new Yorkshire captain Darren Lehmann is confident he and his reigning county champions will soon be back on top of their game.

Lehmann conceded yesterday Yorkshire had been "totally outplayed in all departments" as they lost their first Championship match to resurgent Surrey by an innings and 168 runs inside three days at Headingley.

"They batted, bowled and fielded very well and certainly better than we did," he shrugged.