Malcolm lands six-wicket haul
By Peter Deeley at Northampton
First day of four: Northants (158-4) lead Yorks (148) by 10 runs
DEVON MALCOLM marked his home championship debut for Northamptonshire with one of those spells of new-ball bowling that must have whetted the appetite of watching chairman of England selectors David Graveney.
Malcolm ripped through the batting of championship leaders Yorkshire with six for 54 - as many as he has ever taken in a county innings - to make visiting captain David Byas reflect on his decision to bat first.
The third ball of the opening over nipped back and bowled Anthony McGrath to give Malcolm, 35, the 800th wicket of his career - one of only seven fast bowlers currently playing to achieve this target.
In hazy conditions the ball swung from the start and Malcolm exploited this. Byas, who hit two hundreds and a fifty in Yorkshire's previous two victories, was leg before to a full-pitched delivery which swung and Matthew Wood went next ball in identical manner.
It is 18 years since a Northants' bowler accomplished the hat-trick but Malcolm went within an ace when Darren Lehmann's air shot just missed the next delivery. With able support from Franklyn Rose and three wickets for Paul Taylor, Malcolm continued to make nonsense of predictions that Yorkshire - who are carrying all before them so far - would make short work of the lowly-placed Midlands county.
If Northants' slip catching had matched the quality of the bowling, Yorkshire might have been dismissed in much less than 3.25 hours.
Four chances went begging and two beneficiaries, Craig White and Chris Silverwood, both reached the forties, joining in a stand of 42 for the eighth wicket. One was off Malcolm, robbing him of a personal championship best after he had taken four wickets in 24 balls.
The quality of Yorkshire's pace attack, with Paul Hutchinson outstanding, ensured Northants did not run away with the day.
Day 2: Swann on song to destroy Yorkshire
By Peter Deeley at Northampton
Second day of four: Yorks (148 & 147-7) trail Northants (332) by 37 runs
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE'S gamble of playing a 19-year-old spinner against the championship leaders paid rich dividends yesterday when Graeme Swann destroyed Yorkshire's hopes of saving this game.
Swann, younger brother of opening batsman Alec, had played only two championship games before this with a solitary wicket. Late in the day, after the game had been dominated by pace, Swann immediately turned his off-breaks considerably and took three wickets in 10 balls, including opponents of the quality of Craig White and Darren Lehmann.
That followed Swann's innings of 49 earlier on - only the second time he has batted in a championship match.
Yorkshire, concentrating almost exclusively on their fast bowlers, lacked precision and allowed Northants to build a first-innings lead of 184 after White, early on, showed the way with three wickets in four overs and finished with five for 46.
One victim was David Sales, his off-stump knocked back after he had applied himself for nearly three hours for 60.
Then the bowlers lost their line, the fielding became ragged with two chances going down, and Northants' ninth- wicket partnership of Paul Taylor and Swann added 71.
Swann batted in accomplished manner, staying for nearly two hours and missing his half-century by one when caught in the gully from a drive off Chris Silverwood.
When Yorkshire batted again Anthony McGrath took five boundaries off Malcolm to compensate for his first- innings third-ball dismissal before Franklyn Rose had him picked up at second slip.
Then his opening partner Michael Vaughan was well caught down legside by David Ripley off Taylor, who also had Matthew Wood taken at slip for three.
David Byas was once more lbw to Malcolm and Swann stepped in to make the result a foregone conclusion.
Day 3: Malcolm the difference
By Peter Deeley at Northampton
Northamptonshire (332 & 105-2) bt Yorkshire (148 & 288) by 8 wkts
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE belied their dismal start to the season by putting to the sword, with four sessions to spare, the championship leaders, who arrived at Wantage Road unbeaten.
Yorkshire's tail-end batsmen salvaged some pride by carrying the game deep into a third day, but they were outclassed in all departments.
The key to the contrasting performances by the two sides was probably the difference in their two main strike bowlers. Devon Malcolm, making his home championship bow, finished with match figures of nine for 141 and polished off Yorkshire after lunch with the two final wickets in three balls.
With such lieutenants as the durable Paul Taylor and West Indian Franklyn Rose, who looks to have settled in admirably, Northants were better served in depth by their bowlers.
No one batted more ably than Darren Gough, whose 58 off 75 balls yesterday was only the game's second half-century. But Gough as destroyer of other sides' batting won few plaudits. He over-pitched too often, did not get his swing going properly when conditions were helpful and his match figures were a modest two for 98. In terms of England potential Malcolm and Craig White surpassed Gough, who will still probably lead the Test attack.
Yorkshire's last three wickets added 141 yesterday with Gough leading from the front, sharing in a stand of 83 with Richard Blakey. Graeme Swann failed to match the quality of his off-spin the previous evening and went for 49 off 15 overs and it was left to Taylor to make the breakthrough in the morning when Gough was picked up one-handed at wide mid-on by Kevin Curran.
Blakey stayed nearly three hours for his 49 and put on another 69 for the ninth wicket with Chris Silverwood, who contributed 34.
After Northants lost two early wickets Rob Bailey upped the tempo. His 46 came at a run a ball and included seven boundaries as well as two sixes in an over off Richard Stemp.