Yorkshire ripped through Northamptonshire's batting at Headingley on Sunday to win their opening Championship match of the season by an innings and 343 runs - the third highest innings victory in the club's history.

It was an almost unbelievable start to Anthony McGrath's reign as captain and Yorkshire have already installed themselves as firm favourites to clinch promotion at the first attempt.

Nothing even remotely went wrong for Yorkshire during an entirely one-sided match in which Darren Gough showed he is back to something near full fitness after his knee problems and Matthew Wood re-discovered his best form with a dazzling 157 after a season in the wilderness last year.

But the most monumental individual performance came from 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Richard Blakey who guided Yorkshire to a colossal 673 for eight declared with a career-best 223 not out off 206 balls with 35 fours.

It was the highest score by a Yorkshire-born batsman since Martyn Moxon's unbeaten 274 at Worcester in 1994 and the biggest on a home ground by a native since Vic Wilson hit 230 against Worcestershire at Sheffield exactly 51 years' ago.

Even more remarkably, Blakey bridged a gap of 16 years between his two Championship double-centuries, his first being made against Gloucestershire, also at Headingley in 1987.

Yorkshire's total against paper-thin bowling was their fourth highest and overtaken in a home game only by their 681 for five declared off Sussex at Sheffield in 1897.

If Blakey's place in the team was under threat from young Simon Guy before the season began it certainly isn't now.

"Last year I told myself I would play more positively and try to score off every ball and the result was I topped 1,000 runs," said Blakey. "I have adopted the same attitude this time and it is working very well. I was even pulling in this game which is something I haven't done in 20 years."

With a maximum 22 points (14 for a win instead of 12 last year) in the bag by early afternoon on the third day, McGrath could not conceal his delight at the team's success.

"On Friday morning, I would happily have settled for any sort of win but to triumph so comprehensively is a dream come true," he said.

Northants' resistance quickly crumbled in their second innings when they slumped to 86 for seven.

During that period, McGrath and Chris Silverwood each found themselves on a hat-trick without being able to go on and achieve the feat.