Gale's imaginative moves place Yorkshire in charge

After enjoying luck in winning his first toss as Yorkshire captain, which enabled his bowlers to take full advantage of the assistance on offer, Andrew Gale suggested he has all the skill to make a success of the role by handling his attack in expert style.

As Warwickshire were dismissed for 217 inside 60 overs, Yorkshire following up with 128-3 on an intriguing opening day, practically everything Gale touched turned to gold.

He rotated his bowlers with the assurance of an old hand and was four times rewarded with a wicket in the opening over of a bowler's spell.

He showed imagination with his field positions and displayed a refreshing willingness to attack at every opportunity.

The upshot was a bowling and fielding performance which, apart from a couple of dropped catches, was about as much as Yorkshire could have hoped for.

Then, as bright sunshine gave way to hazier conditions, Yorkshire's batsmen built on that platform to raise hopes of the Gale era beginning with that rarity of rarities – a Yorkshire Championship win.

On a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce and in conditions offering lateral movement, Joe Sayers contributed a perky half-century and Jacques Rudolph an unbeaten 43 to give the visiting team a tangible edge.

After examining an atypical Edgbaston surface, which normally possesses less life than a cadaver, Gale opted to go in with a four-pronged seam attack that consigned the perennially unfortunate left-arm spin bowler David Wainwright to the role of drinks waiter.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby was handed his first Championship start for two years and Steve Patterson chosen to provide further back-up to new-ball bowlers Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad.

Operating from a Pavilion End that is currently without a pavilion owing to an impending 30m refurbishment, Shahzad got things moving by having Varun Chopra leg-before in the fourth over.

The batsman got a good stride in and was clearly unimpressed with umpire Trevor Jesty's decision, lingering at the crease before returning to the makeshift dressing rooms at the City End.

Ian Bell emerged to treat the crowd to a flurry of handsome strokes – most notably a cover-driven four off Shahzad and an exquisite off-driven boundary off Hannon-Dalby, whose only previous first-class wicket was that of Mark Ramprakash.

But after adding 53 for the second-wicket with Ian Westwood and looking in ominous touch, Bell departed to a fine ball from Bresnan that took the outside edge and inspired an equally fine catch by wicketkeeper Jonathan Bairstow, who flew athletically to his right.

It all followed a muscular piece of captaincy from Gale, who did not dawdle when Hannon-Dalby's first three overs disappeared for 19 but pulled the 20-year-old out of the firing line and recalled Bresnan.

Yorkshire made another key breakthrough three overs later when Jonathan Trott perished for seven to leave the score 68-3.

Patterson seemed to surprise the South African with a delivery that reared up from the Pavilion End, Bairstow doing the rest behind the stumps.

It could have been better for Yorkshire in the last over before lunch only for Bairstow to put down Westwood off Anthony McGrath. It did not matter.

The Warwickshire captain fell in the second over after the break when the persevering Hannon-Dalby trapped him leg-before. Moments later, Hannon-Dalby spilled Tim Ambrose at deep fine-leg off Bresnan but his faux pas, like Bairstow's, did not prove costly.

Ambrose, who looked all at sea, aimed a loose stroke at Patterson and was caught in the slips at chest height by Rudolph.

Warwickshire slipped to 134-6 when Shahzad had Jim Troughton caught in the slips by Anthony McGrath, Patterson picking up his third wicket when he bowled Chris Woakes round his legs.

Yorkshire were held up by an eighth-wicket partnership of 47 between Neil Carter and Naqaash Tahir before the latter holed out to mid-on off Bresnan.

Carter top-scored with 41 before falling lbw to Adil Rashid attempting to sweep, Shahzad rounding off the innings by having Imran Tahir caught in the slips by Rudolph.

Yorkshire's new-look opening partnership of Sayers and Adam Lyth added 20 before Lyth was caught in the slips.

McGrath, too, was caught in the slips and Sayers stumped after being lured out of his ground by Imran Tahir.

But Rudolph and Gale held firm to ensure the day belonged to Yorkshire.