RYAN SIDEBOTTOM bowled Yorkshire to back-to-back LV= County Championship titles yesterday during a hectic opening day of their clash with Middlesex at Lord’s.

The veteran seamer took a brilliant 5-18 from 12 overs, including the 700th wicket of his first-class career as the hosts were bowled out for just 106 inside 33 overs.

And coupled with Nottinghamshire’s failure to get maximum batting points in their clash with Durham at Trent Bridge, that meant the White Rose county were champions again.

Andrew Gale had become the first Yorkshire captain since Brian Close in 1967/1968 to retain the Championship crown, and Sidebottom had won his fifth career four-day title, including three of those with his home county.

Nineteen wickets fell yesterday, with four overs lost to bad light.

Yorkshire will resume this morning on 238-9 from 57 overs, an innings underpinned by a superb 98 off 110 balls from captain Gale.

The day started in spectacular fashion after Gale had won the toss, with Sidebottom returning a triple wicket maiden in the very first over.

“It’s always nice to contribute, but you don’t expect to get off to starts like that,” said the 37-year-old left-armer. “I started off knowing that I needed one for 700, and that was in the back of my mind.

“But to take three wickets in the opening over, wow! I even surprised myself. It was just one of those dream mornings and dream starts.

“You know at Lord’s that the ball will seam and swing around. It was overcast and just a case of getting the ball pitched up. To get 700 and help us win the Championship, it means a great deal. It was a special day.

“To win it five times, I’m very fortunate as an individual. I play with a great bunch of lads and a great group of players. We’ve been really focused this year, and it’s been a wonderful team effort.

“We’ve played 21 players out of our staff this year, and it’s been commendable what we’ve done.”

Sidebottom started Yorkshire’s dominant day and ended it too given he was at the crease when bad light took the players off the field, and he will look to build on Yorkshire’s lead of 132 with Jack Brooks this morning.

His 700th wicket was that of Paul Stirling three balls into the match before he had Nick Compton caught behind two balls later and Dawid Malan bowled for a golden duck.

He later had Steve Eskinazi caught in the slips and wrapped up the innings after lunch by bowling Tim Murtagh. Sandwiched in between, Tim Bresnan returned 4-30 from eight overs.

The crowning moment came at 3.10pm when Gale and Alex Lees were in the midst of a third-wicket partnership of 78.

Notts were bowled out against Durham for 204, sparking applause from the crowd and a jig of delight from team-mates on the dressing room balcony.

“Their lads said ‘why are they applauding, have you got 1,000 runs?’ I said ‘no, I’m about 250 short of that’,” chuckled Gale.

“But seeing the lads dancing on the balcony, I knew we were home, and it was phenomenal.”

Gale will lift the trophy on the outfield at the end of this match, and that could possibly be today such was the helter-skelter nature of yesterday’s memorable day.