Yorkshire’s bid for a second County Championship title in two years may have just gone up a notch after Ryan Sidebottom took six of the top seven Warwickshire wickets to despatch the hosts for 69 at Edgbaston.
Sidebottom had already given a glimpse of his destruction with two late wickets last night, and the 37-year old struck in just his second over of the morning to bowl Ian Westwood for 14.
More was still to come from the veteran, with Laurie Evans also bowled, while Sam Hain was caught by Jack Leaning for no score and Pete McKay was trapped leg before from just his second ball to give Sidebottom figures of six for 22 early on the second morning. When Jonathan Trott soon followed his partners back to the pavilion, Jack Brooks taking the honours this time, Warwickshire had slipped to a woeful 35 for seven from a little over 15 overs.
Sidebottom’s job may have been done, but Yorkshire were not to let their superiority slip. Brooks continued his superb spell – going for just 14 runs from his 11 overs – as Jeetan Patel became the fifth man to fall with the score on 35 in a period of 30 balls before Boyd Rankin granted Brooks a third scalp, Alex Lees taking the catch at first slip.
There were shades of 1963 at Edgbaston, when Yorkshire bowled out the Bears for just 35 in a truly one-sided affair, with at least the unwanted accolade of lowest-scores being off the minds of the home faithful. Rikki Clarke provided an incline of resistance, but his departure proved the final nail in Warwickshire’s coffin, all out for 69 with Steve Patterson the final handyman. Oliver Hannon-Dalby, 5 not out, left 95 short of what would have been a certain century.
At 55/4 in their first innings, a lead would have been in serious doubt for Yorkshire, but with 144 runs as their initial advantage, Alex Lees and Will Rhodes began to press home the superior position Sidebottom had procured for the Headingley side.
The pair put on 58 for the first wicket – just 11 shy of Warwickshire’s total effort – but Clarke got the breakthrough with Lees caught by Varun Chopra at slip. That proved to be the only wicket the hosts would enjoy, as Rhodes and Leaning guided Yorkshire safely to the close on 125/1, the former making his debut Championship fifty in the process. The lead is 269.