Northants succumb to Yorkshire attack

Division One leaders Yorkshire collected maximum bowling points against bottom-of-the-table Northamptonshire in hot and steamy conditions at Wantage Road.

Despite the absence of Michael Vaughan, Darren Gough and Craig White on international duty, the pace-setters still chose to leave out paceman Matthew Hoggard who was released from the England squad for the Edgbaston Test in plenty of time to play.

And their remaining bowlers did a fine job in reducing the hosts from a formidable-looking 138-1 at lunch, with Mike Hussey and Mal Loye going well, to 253 all out shortly after tea. Yorkshire responded with 45-1 from 14 overs at the close.

The demise of Loye (50) and Hussey (64) triggered the slide, and at one point they lost the wickets of Tony Penberthy, Graeme Swann and Russell Warren in the space of nine balls - the last two edging off-spinner Richard Dawson to David Byas at slip.

Ryan Sidebottom was also impressive and produced a beauty that seamed and bounced to remove the dangerous Loye, while Steve Kirby mopped up the tail efficiently to finish with 3-34 and boost his tally to 23 wickets in only his third Championship match.

Yorkshire were left with a potentially difficult 55-minute session before the day's end, and soon lost Scott Richardson to Michael Strong.

But Matthew Wood and Michael Lumb saw out the session, and much will now depend on the ability of Northamptonshire's much-vaunted spinners, Graeme Swann and Jason Brown, to exploit a dry pitch.