Yorkshire take charge at Headingley

Stumps Yorkshire 213 for 5 (Lyth 64, Fletcher 3-55) v Nottinghamshire 143 (Hales 85, Pyrah 5-58, Sidebottom 4-30)
Scorecard

Dynamic swing bowling by Ryan Sidebottom against his former county led to Yorkshire dominating the first day's play in their County Championship battle with title-holders Nottinghamshire at Headingley.

The left-arm paceman, who returned to his native county at the end of last season, grabbed four wickets and Richard Pyrah a career-best five as Notts were fired out for 143, Yorkshire then replying with 213 for 5 by the close to give them a lead of 70.

To rub salt into the visitors' wounds, the debacle came after they had won the toss. Having chosen to bat, they were taken by surprise by the amount of swing Sidebottom obtained in a lethal new-ball spell which brought him three wickets for 15 runs in nine overs, five of which were maidens.

Yorkshire made two changes from the side which lost to Durham by 143 runs last week, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and left-arm spinner David Wainwright replacing Steven Patterson and Moin Ashraf, and it was Hannon-Dalby who dealt the first blow by shattering Mark Wagh's stumps in the fourth over with one which nipped back.

The score was on seven and two more wickets fell without addition as Sidebottom struck with consecutive deliveries. Paul Franks edged to second slip where he was brilliantly caught by Anthony McGrath and Samit Patel was pinned back on his stumps, leaving Adam Voges to block the hat-trick ball.

Pyrah replaced Hannon-Dalby and captured a wicket with his first ball thanks to another stunning catch, this time by Adam Lyth at first slip. Another fine inswinger from Sidebottom had Ali Brown lbw to leave Notts on 43 for 5 and it became 56 for 6 when captain Chris Read paid the penalty for an ungainly heave across the line at Pyrah and was caught behind by Jonathan Bairstow.

Notts would have been in even deeper trouble but for some splendid batting from Alex Hales, who welcomed the introduction of spin by driving Wainwright for six and bringing up his 50 in the same over with his seventh four.

But Notts were soon in trouble again after lunch, the second ball from Pyrah being tickled to Bairstow by Steven Mullaney, and Pyrah picked up a further wicket when Andre Adams had a swing and was bowled. Yorkshire's catching continued to be of a high standard and Luke Fletcher's thick edge was well held by Lyth at third slip to give Sidebottom final figures of 4 for 30.

With only Charlie Shreck remaining, Hales once more went on the attack by pulling Pyrah for four and six but in trying to repeat the shot he was caught on the midwicket boundary by Gerard Brophy for 85 from 89 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes. Pyrah's figures of 5 for 58 meant it was the second time within a week that he had enjoyed a career-best return.

There was an early shock for Yorkshire as Joe Root nicked his first delivery from Shreck into Read's gloves, but Lyth and McGrath quickly settled into a second-wicket stand worth exactly 100 in 26 overs, aided early on by some indifferent work in the field. Franks should have cut off a boundary and Fletcher gave away four runs when he hurled back McGrath's defensive push and the ball sailed well over the top of Read's head.

Lyth played some crisp strokes in going to his first half-century of the season but Yorkshire suddenly loosened their grip on the match in the evening session, beginning when McGrath was lbw to Adams for 49.

Having been lured into several mistimed pulls by Fletcher, Lyth went for the stroke once too often and played straight into the waiting hands of Franks at long leg, the left-hander's 64 coming off 118 balls with eight fours. Incoming batsman Bairstow had little chance of keeping out a shooter from Fletcher which hit his off stump and half of Yorkshire's wickets were down for 144 when Brophy cut at Fletcher and was caught at third slip by Patel.

The slide was halted by captain Andrew Gale (47 not out) and Rashid (39 not out), who retrieved the situation by adding an unbroken 70 by the close.