Yorkshire collapse as title ambitions suffer setback

WHAT a time for Yorkshire to make their lowest Championship total of the season.

On the opening day of a game that could have a significant bearing on the destiny of the title, Yorkshire managed only 178 after winning the toss.

It was only the second time this summer they did not collect a batting point and left their bowlers a mountain to climb.

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Nottinghamshire replied with 147-3 to take a firm grip of a meeting between the division's top two.

One does not have to delve far into history to find a decision to bat first at Headingley failing to produce expected dividends.

Two weeks ago, Australia's Ricky Ponting opted to take first use of a similarly good-looking surface only for his team to be bowled out for 88 by Pakistan – Australia's seventh-lowest Test total.

Australia were unable to recover as Pakistan swept to a three-wicket victory after gaining a first-innings lead of 170.

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Nottinghamshire will hope to put similar daylight between themselves and a Yorkshire side who went into this match on top of the First Division, one point above their second-placed opponents, who have a game in hand.

Yorkshire's total was their lowest completed Championship innings since they were dismissed for 107 by Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in August 2008.

Frustratingly from their point of view, seven batsmen reached double figures yesterday but no one posted a half-century, Jonathan Bairstow top-scoring with 45.

Ryan Sidebottom, Paul Franks, Andre Adams and Samit Patel each claimed two wickets for Nottinghamshire, who bowled with commendable discipline beneath largely leaden skies.

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There was some movement on offer and Chris Read's men were good enough to take full advantage of it, ruthlessly exploiting deficiencies in technique to show why they are consistently dangerous foes in all forms of the game.

With Tim Bresnan away on England duty and Tino Best a liability on current form, Yorkshire went into the match with two spinners as David Wainwright was selected to partner Adil Rashid. In that respect, Andrew Gale's decision to bat first could also be viewed as a choice to bowl last and therefore give his spinners every opportunity in the fourth innings.

Yorkshire's first job, however, was to establish a platform and this they failed to do as Nottinghamshire made immediate inroads.

Sidebottom, who passed a fitness test on a knee injury suffered playing football, struck with the fifth ball of the morning from the Rugby Stand end when he persuaded the prolific Adam Lyth to edge behind.

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Yorkshire fell to 5-2 when Jacques Rudolph was crazily run-out from the last ball of the sixth over. When Anthony McGrath pushed a delivery from Darren Pattinson to cover, Rudolph set off for a single as McGrath stayed put.

Ali Brown had time to run in and whip off the bails to leave Rudolph visibly annoyed with himself as he departed the scene banging his bat into his pad in frustration.

Despite their uncertain start, Yorkshire looked to be putting their house in order as McGrath and Gale began to find the gaps.

Gale struck successive off-side boundaries off Pattinson, while McGrath looked in solid order all around the wicket.

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But Yorkshire slid to 36-3 when Franks won an lbw decision against Gale, who clearly felt the ball had done too much.

McGrath and Bairstow raised the total to 82 before the home side suffered a double blow on the stroke of lunch.

First, McGrath feathered a delivery from Adams to wicketkeeper Read before the same bowler speared one through the defences of Gerard Brophy to leave Yorkshire 89-5.

When Rashid went lbw to Pattinson shortly after lunch, Yorkshire were 104-6 and Bairstow was in danger of running out of partners. The 20-year-old produced the stroke of the day when he cover-drove Pattinson to the foot of the East Stand before his innings was ended on 136 when he was bowled by a fine delivery from Sidebottom.

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Ajmal Shahzad was caught behind driving at Franks before Patel rounded off proceedings by having Steve Patterson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby lbw.

It left Wainwright stranded on 20, the left-hander having fought tenaciously after taking 35 minutes to get off the mark.

Top-order wobbles have proved a problem for Nottinghamshire in recent times, and Yorkshire were encouraged when Alex Hales chased a wide one from Patterson and was caught behind in the fifth over.

Hannon-Dalby bowled Mark Wagh to leave the visitors 52-2, but Matt Wood reached a fine half-century before falling lbw to Patterson with the total on 97.

Patel, fresh from his first Championship hundred of the season at Taunton, and David Hussey added an unbeaten 50 to keep Nottinghamshire well in the box seat.