Ryan Sidebottom struck with the third ball of the season as Yorkshire made a flying start against Leeds-Bradford MCC Universities at Headingley today.

After a wet outfield delayed the start of this three-day first-class friendly until 12.15pm, the visitors were dealt an early blow having been invited to bat first by stand-in captain Gary Ballance.

And it did not get any better for them as they slipped to 30-4 in the 15th over at lunch, with the other wickets going to Jack Brooks, Liam Plunkett and Steve Patterson.

Miserly Sidebottom, who shared the new ball with Brooks, had Nick Gubbins caught behind by Jonny Bairstow to leave the score at 1-1. Sidebottom’s five-over spell with the new ball cost him only six runs.

After a near nine-over period of calm as second-wicket pair Dan Young and Christian Davis steadied the ship, the latter was trapped lbw by a Brooks full ball as the score slipped to 20-2 in the tenth.

Plunkett had Young caught at first slip by Ballance with his first ball in the 14th over before Patterson had Peter Ross caught behind by Bairstow at the start of the 15th, signalling lunch.