CRICKET: Yorkshire would have been in a sorry mess yesterday without Ryan Sidebottom, who was a cut above the other bowlers on the first day of the Championship match against Derbyshire at Headingley.

The left-arm paceman found his sharpest form of the season and he was at his most lethal in a 16-ball spell in which he grabbed Derbyshire's first three wickets while conceding only five runs.

Sidebottom later added another scalp to his belt as he constantly worried batsmen with movement in the air and off the pitch and his final figures of four for 68 from 23 overs were well merited.

Apart from the menace posed by Sidebottom, Derbyshire were rarely under any undue pressure and they closed the day on 297 for five after winning the toss.

They also had the satisfaction of taking the first batting points off Yorkshire this season.

Matthew Hoggard came through a fitness test on the stomach strain which had kept him out since the first game but there was little assistance early on either for himself or his new ball partner Chris Silverwood.

Australian Michael Di Venuto and Zimbabwe-born Andrew Gait were mainly untroubled during an opening stand of 75 in 22 overs before Sidebottom wrecked Derbyshire's good start.

He hit Gait's off-stump with a ball which pitched middle and leg and immediately after Di Venuto had completed his 50 off 67 balls with eight fours he had him edging a catch to Richard Blakey.

Steve Selwood, deceived by Sidebottom's swing, could not withdraw his bat in time and Derbyshire went in to lunch on 98 for three, Hoggard surprisingly taking over from Sidebottom at the football end on the resumption. He was allowed only two overs, however, before Sidebottom came back to turn round Christopher Bassano, who fended a rising ball off his glove to Scott Richardson at second slip.

Derbyshire recovered through a solid stand of 101 between Dominic Hewson and Luke Sutton. Hewson went to his 50 off 84 balls with seven fours but seven runs later he was run oute.

Dominic Cork smacked three fours before tea and after the break he played two sumptuous drives at Kirby which flashed to the fence. Sutton's steadfast half-century used up 116 balls and contained six fours but progress was hindered during the evening by two stoppages for showers which cost 12 overs. Sutton came in with 79 and Cork 39, the sixth-wicket pair having put on 80.

Meanwhile, visiting coach Adrian Pierson said he had been "amazed" to read that Yorkshire had signed 21-year-old Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who had been going to join Derbyshire until he made it known he would be available only until August because he then wanted to play club cricket back home.

Derbyshire then signed his Indian team-mate Mohammad Kaif who Yorkshire had also shown an interest in while running the rule over Yuvraj.