Ryan Sidebottom shrugged off a persistent groin strain to capture five wickets for 60 runs, his best figures in two seasons, as Yorkshire managed to stay in the hunt against Leicestershire at Scarborough yesterday.

At one stage early in the afternoon, Sidebottom grabbed three wickets in 11 balls without conceding a run to leave Leicestershire struggling on 150 for seven.

But Neil Burns and Javagal Srinath staged a recovery which took them to 279 and a first innings lead of three.

Yorkshire were given a flying start by Vic Craven and they closed on 137 for three with the game nicely balanced.

Leeds-born Iain Sutcliffe and Darren Maddy kept Yorkshire at bay in the morning with a 76 stand in 25 overs for the second wicket before both fell with the score on 93, Sutcliffe edging Richard Dawson to Matthew Elliott at slip and Maddy falling lbw to the medium pace of Craven, who picked up his first wicket in first class cricket.

Craven was wisely given only three overs and when Steven Kirby replaced him his first ball dismissed Vince Wells lbw and his second was deflected by Darren Stevens high to Craven's right at first slip and the chance was put down.

It was straight after lunch that Leicestershire really hit trouble in a fiery burst from Sidebottom who removed Stevens' off-stump and two overs later had Ashley Wright nibbling a catch to Craven before bowling Phil DeFreitas first ball, leaving the all-rounder to wait a little longer for the nine runs he needs for 10,000.

Srinath narrowly avoided contact with the hat-trick delivery and the innings may have been wrapped up quickly if Elliott had not dropped the Indian at slip with the score on 171 for seven. Once Burns had got over the shock of a beamer from Kirby - for which the bowler was warned - he and Srinath stepped on the accelerator.

And when Andy Gray came on for the first time at 207 for seven to ironic cheers he was cut for four by Burns and straight driven for six.

Srinath slammed both Dawson and Gray for mid-wicket sixes and the spree was ended by the return of Sidebottom whose second ball trapped Burns lbw for a spirited 59 from 71 deliveries with eight fours and a six.

Skipper Richard Blakey continued to make shrewd changes and Kirby came back to bowl Srinath for 52 off 89 balls with five fours and three sixes before ending the innings by yorking Devon Malcolm.

Craven got Yorkshire's second innings moving rapidly and he smacked three boundaries off Srinath and four off DeFreitas, the left-hander's share of the first 50 runs being 36 to Chris Taylor's four. Wells intervened by bringing himself on, having Craven caught behind for 40 with eight boundaries.

He then took a return catch off a leading edge to send back Taylor, but Elliott and Craig White stopped the wobble with a 61 stand in 14 overs which was ended when former Yorkshire left-armer Richard Stemp bowled Elliott round his legs to gain his maiden wicket for his new county.