JASON GILLESPIE has backed calls for Adam Lyth to become the latest Yorkshire player to be called into the England set-up after his sixth championship century of the season put them on course for a title victory.

Lyth’s superb 122 allowed Yorkshire to finish the opening day against Nottinghamshire on 319 for four having entered the Trent Bridge match 26 points ahead of their opponents, needing only to ensure they match their points tally to win the title.

It took Lyth’s tally to 1,428 championship runs in 21 innings and, although England do not have any Test cricket until April, Gillespie believes the Whitby-born opener is ready to join Yorkshire team-mates Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Liam Plunkett in Test cricket.

“Why not,” said Gillespie, Yorkshire’s first team coach.

“The amount of runs he scores doesn’t lie, he scores all around the wicket and he’s learned some really good lessons over the last few years of his career.

“He’s learnt how to score runs in all conditions against different types of bowling at the top of the order and he’s been presented with a lot of different conditions and different bowlers throughout the season and he’s not only survived but thrived.”

Lyth set the tone for Yorkshire’s dominant day by forging a 176-run opening stand with Alex Lees after Root, leading the side in the absence of suspended captain Andrew Gale, chose to bat first after winning the toss.

Yet the day could have been so different had Lyth not been given a reprieve from the second ball of the match, edging seamer Luke Fletcher behind only for Chris Read, Nottinghamshire’s wicketkeeper and captain, to fumble the catch.

It was one of three missed chances before lunch with Lees also dropped on 20 and 45 by Riki Wessels at short leg off Gary Keedy, the former Yorkshire and Lancashire left-arm spinner.

The partnership was finally broken by the same combination with Lees pushing forward defensively on 86, only for Wessels to make amends with a superb diving one-handed catch.

It was their fourth century stand of the season and they average 76 in the championship as a partnership having also recorded the highest opening stand of 375 against Northamptonshire earlier this summer.

“They get us off to a great start as a team and allow our middle order to push on from that,” said Gillespie. “Their contribution has been huge and both have been prolific this year.

“I think they compliment each other well, they get on well and are good mates.

They both go out there with a simple game plan and are very clear in their roles, which I think is crucial.

They are very clear with what they need to do and their job is to score as many runs as they can.”

After losing his prolific partner, Lyth continued to claim another century in this extraordinary season for him and looked on course to perhaps repeat the 251 he scored against Lancashire at Old Trafford last week, but mis-timed an attempted drive and Keedy was able to take a return catch above his head after hitting 14 fours in his innings spanning nearly five hours.

Root was unable to build on the promising early work, given lbw to left-arm seamer Harry Gurney to a ball that looked like it was missing the stumps, with Nottinghamshire making inroads with the new ball.

Jonny Bairstow was also unable to capitalise and fell for two after he gave a leading edge off Fletcher and was brilliantly caught by Michael Lumb in the gully, diving one handed to his left.

But, Yorkshire finished the day at Trent Bridge poised to take advantage of their strong position with Ballance progressing almost under the radar to finish unbeaten on 82 at the close and Yorkshire within sight of a potentially historic championship triumph – their first since 2001 – before the end of the week.

“We’re really pleased with our day’s work,” added Gillespie. “We’ve got a lot of work to do yet and it’s only the first day, but we would have taken this at the start of the day.”

Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire
At Trent Bridge. Yorkshire Won Toss
Yorkshire First Innings Close
A Lyth c & b Keedy...............................122
A Z Lees c Wessels b Keedy ..............86
G S Ballance not out .............................82
J E Root lbw b Gurney .......................... 11
J M Bairstow c Lumb b Fletcher ........... 2
J A Leaning not out .................................. 8
Extras (b4 lb4 pens 0).......... 8
Total 4 wkts (96 overs) .....319
Fall: 1-176 2-271 3-289 4-298
To Bat: A U Rashid, T T Bresnan, S A
Patterson, R J Sidebottom, J A Brooks.
Bowling: Fletcher 14-5-34-1. Gurney
20-2-82-1. Ball 15-3-44-0. Keedy 25-
1-93-2. Mullaney 13-2-32-0. S R Patel
9-1-26-0.