Adam, Adil, Alex, and Andrew Help Secure Vital Win

It was truly a team effort as at least eight of the Yorkshire eleven weighed in with significant contributions as the Tykes avenged their defeat at Lords to Middlesex. This time there was no superhuman performance from Chris Rogers, and instead the Tykes just about managed to run through the Middlesex brittle batting order, thereby climbing to the top of the charts.

With only four matches remaining, Yorkshire lead Nottinghamshire by a mere five points. There are still half a dozen counties that entertain realistic hopes of winning the County Championship as the event enters its final quarter. The white rose county might be perceived in some quarters as the favourites, but their last four fixtures are far from straightforward, as the county must face Sussex, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, and Somerset. Two wins may be enough, but three would be most preferable.

Meanwhile on the north east coast, the Tykes did very well to overcome the formidable challenge of Middlesex, a triumph which was completed in spite of losing the toss. Funnily enough, this match closely mirrored the previous encounter between the two protagonists, as Yorkshire were bowled out cheaply, only to roll over Middlesex for a smaller sum. Then Yorkshire rediscovered their batting form in the second innings. This time, century hero Andrew Gale (who also recorded a ton against the north Londoners last year) perhaps declared with some apprehension, given that the wicket had become more batting-friendly and more importantly he would have been mindful of the fact that a Rogers-inspired Middlesex had previously succeeded in comfortably chasing down a large four hundred-plus target. However, for the visitors, there would be no fairytale ending this time, although the in-form Simpson and an uncharacteristically cautious Morgan did their best to defy the hosts on the final afternoon. In the end, the home team spectacularly broke through the Middlesex resistance after tea on the final afternoon. Brooks and Rashid were ultimately the heroes of the hour as the Yorkshire team demonstrated that they could finish off stubborn opponents, after failing twice against Durham and on one or two other occasions to polish off an enemy batting order.

Although Chris Rogers has conceded that this impressive home win confirmed his belief that Yorkshire are Championship favourites, Middlesex remain firmly in the race for the first prize, in spite of this obvious setback. A good team after all can be measured by how well they respond to a defeat. Yorkshire meanwhile will be boosted by this fine victory in an important week as the team braces itself for a must-win Twenty20 tussle at home to Nottinghamshire Outlaws on Friday night.

YORKSHIRE versus Middlesex; at Scarborough; July 19th-22nd. Middlesex won the toss.

YORKSHIRE first innings: 253 (Lyth 117; Finn 4-81)

Middlesex first innings: 232 (Simpson 110, Malan 78; Sidebottom 7-44)

YORKSHIRE second innings: 400 for five declared (Gale 126*, Leaning 76, Lees 67, Williamson 62; Murtagh 3-64)

Middlesex second innings: 201 (Simpson 61; Rashid 4-27, Brooks 3-30)

YORKSHIRE won by 220 runs. YORKSHIRE 21 points, Middlesex 4 points.

Lyth - The ace opener scored another century, becoming the first batsman in Division One to pass 1,000 runs for the summer. He should be playing for England.

Lees - Scorer of 95 valuable runs, Alex will himself soon be challenging the inept Cook for a place as opening batsman for England. It's only a matter of time.

Williamson - Alongside Alex Lees, the New Zealander laid the foundations for a large second-innings total. Maybe some day he will even amass a big hundred!

Gale - 156 runs were a welcome return for the hitherto erratic Gale. If he could conquer inconsistency and even win the toss, he would be even more invaluable.

Bairstow - JB was the only member of the top six who missed out on a fifty. He also dropped a catch in the first innings which was costly.

Leaning - After another failure in the first innings, Jack bounced back with a fine 76, which included three consecutive sixes after a cautious start to his innings.

Rashid - Adil took four of the six wickets to fall in the final session's avalanche, finishing with match figures of five for fifty-seven from 21.3 overs.

Bresnan - Tim's performance was subdued by his own high standards, but his one solitary wicket broke the stout resistance of Malan on the final morning.

Patterson - Although he 'only' took three wickets at a cost of ninety-two runs from thirty overs, SP's victims were all crucially top order batsmen.

Sidebottom - His match figures were a magnificent seven for seventy from 28 overs. Ryan is bowling almost better than ever. The 'old man' is a blooming marvel.

Brooks - Ineffective in the first innings, Jack the lad made a decisive contribution on the final day, conceding only thirty runs from fifteen overs and taking 3 wickets.