Yorkshire's hopes of lifting the County Championship title suffered a severe blow at Headingley Carnegie yesterday when they never fully recovered from one of their worst starts in the history of Roses cricket.

Winning the toss and batting first in blissful sunshine, they were soon shaken to the core as the first three wickets went down for one run with Craig White, Anthony McGrath and Younus Khan all sent packing for ducks.

Half the side were back in the pavilion for 22 and although Adil Rashid and Tim Bresnan pushed the final score on to 144 it still left Yorkshire without a batting bonus point and in danger of a humiliating defeat.

Batting became much easier once the pitch dried out and Lancashire closed on 146 for two, leading by two runs with Paul Horton unbeaten on 82 from 145 balls with ten boundaries.

The early damage was inflicted by Glen Chapple and Sajid Mahmood, but it was England's star all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff, who wrapped up the innings with a destructive second spell in which he grabbed three for 16 in 41 deliveries, including the last pair of Darren Gough and Ajmal Shahzad with successive balls.

Flintoff, recovering from ankle surgery, is testing his fitness ahead of the NatWest series against India, and he bowled with all his usual pace and flair.

Andrew Gale was drafted into Yorkshire's side in place of Jacques Rudolph, who is suffering from a virus, and the Tykes certainly missed the silky strokes of their South African left-hander.

Back in action on the ground only 13 hours after their dramatic floodlit victory over Middlesex, Yorkshire's batsmen appeared still to have sleep in their eyes as wickets toppled like ninepins.

White could not avoid touching Chapple's away swinger with the fifth ball of the match and Anthony McGrath was out to the next, offering no stroke to one which nipped back.

Then Younus Khan missed Mahmood's second delivery and was bowled by a full toss to leave Yorkshire in dire straits and they would have been four for four if Gale's edge to Stuart Law at third slip had not been off a Chapple no-ball.

Gale produced the only confident shot so far, a cracking off drive against Chapple which raced for four.

But it became 20 for four in the eighth over as Joe Sayers gloved a legside catch to wicketkeeper, Luke Sutton and five runs later Gale hooked at Chapple and was caught Gary Keedy at long leg.

Rashid came in to face the sternest test of his blossoming career and he looked ice-cool against the formidable pairing of Flintoff and Mutiah Muralitharan who had fielders crowding the bat in eager anticipation.

But Rashid showed he has no fear, thrashing Flintoff through the covers for four before nicking his next ball through the slips for another boundary which raised the 50.

There was resistance, also, from Gerard Brophy until he stabbed down on Muralitharan and was caught at silly point off bat and pad and Bresnan came in to relieve some of the agony by driving Keedy high over long on for six.

Just when Rashid looked like playing a memorable innings he flicked Chapple to Horton at square leg and was out for 34 off 82 balls after standing defiant for 88 minutes.

Bresnan, too, battled stoically, but, having made 39 off 98 deliveries, his concentration wavered and he slashed Flintoff to Brad Hodge at gully, Flintoff then wasting no time in mopping up.

Lancashire made relentless progress towards establishing a big lead and Yorkshire's only successes came at 66 when Sayers ran out Mark Chilton at the non-striker's end with a direct hit on the stumps from cover and 59 runs later when Brad Hodge fell lbw to Bresnan.