YORKSHIRE’S bowlers helped to seize the early initiative in their LV= County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston yesterday as they bowled the hosts out for just 228.

On a pitch with good pace and carry, and in the face of a short leg-side boundary towards the Raglan Stand, experienced Rich Pyrah excelled with 3-37 from 12 overs, while Jack Brooks also struck three times.

Each of Yorkshire’s fiveman attack struck, including 18-year-old Northallerton- born left-arm spinner Karl Carver on debut, as Warwickshire posted a total significantly below par.

Six of the wickets fell to catches from either Aaron Finch, who spent time off the field with a tweaked groin, or Alex Lees at first slip after Jim Troughton had won the toss.

Chris Woakes struck twice in four balls in the tenth and 12th overs of Yorkshire’s reply to leave them at 37-2, but the visitors were happy with their position at 82-2 from 24 overs ahead of today’s second day.

Lees and Andrew Gale will resume today on 40 and 31 not out respectively.

The only negative in terms of the bowling performance was allowing the hosts to add 104 for the last three wickets, underpinned by former New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel’s 63 not out off 67 balls.

But that is being ultracritical, and all-rounder Pyrah was keen to look on the bright side.

“It was frustrating, and that’s two games in a row when they’ve got a partnership at the end. But it shows that it’s a decent pitch, and you can’t just blast people out. It also shows how well we bowled at their top order,” he said.

“There was a bit of carry in this (pitch), so it made a change from Arundel last week, and we just got the ball swinging because there wasn’t much seam movement. We did well.

We never let them off the hook, and it was a very disciplined performance.

“It’s quite a dry pitch with a few cracks on it. I think it’s very important that we try and score big and put them under pressure in the third innings.”

After restricting Warwickshire to 71-3 at lunch, Yorkshire took the game by the throat with seven wickets in the afternoon session, including wickets four, five and six in seven balls.

Brooks took the first two, Sam Hain and Woakes caught at first slip, with successive deliveries in the 38th over to leave the score at 89-5.

Carver, playing ahead of dropped Azeem Rafiq and absent Adil Rashid (paternity leave), claimed his first wicket when he had Keith Barker caught at slip in the 59th over.

Despite a late order rally from Warwickshire, who were then 171-8, Yorkshire made them pay.

“Karl has done well for someone of….how old is he,13?” quipped Pyrah.

“He’s got a lovely action, and he looks like a proper spin bowler.”

Warwickshire v Yorkshire

At Edgbaston.

Warwickshire First Innings
V Chopra c Bairstow b Pyrah ..............29
W T Porterfield c Finch b Patterson .. 13
J O Troughton b Pyrah ..........................23
S R Hain c Finch b Brooks .................... 8
T R Ambrose c Lees b Pyrah...............29
C R Woakes c Finch b Brooks.............. 0
R Clarke c Lees b Patterson.................. 0
K H Barker c Finch b Carver ...............36
J S Patel not out......................................63
C J Wright b Brooks................................ 6
W B Rankin lbw b Sidebottom............ 11
Extras (lb5 w5 pens 0) .......10
Total (71.3 overs) .............. 228
Fall: 1-20 2-64 3-65 4-89 5-89 6-90 7-124
8-171 9-180 Sidebottom 15.3-4-35-1.
Brooks 16-4-63-3. Patterson 17-4-50-2.
Pyrah 12-4-37-3. Carver 11-1-38-1.

Yorkshire First Innings Close
A Lyth c Patel b Woakes....................... 11
A Z Lees not out .....................................40
J A Leaning c Chopra b Woakes .......... 0
A W Gale not out ................................... 31
Extras (pens 0) ....................... 0
Total 2 wkts (24 overs) .......82
Fall: 1-31 2-37. To Bat: J M Bairstow, A J
Finch, R M Pyrah, R J Sidebottom, S A
Patterson, J A Brooks, K Carver.
Barker 6-0-23-0. Woakes 8-2-28-2.
Clarke 4-0-11-0. Wright 3-1-12-0. Rankin
3-0-8-0.