LIAM Plunkett knows all about winning back-to-back LV= County Championship titles – and the former Durham fast bowler can see no reason why current team Yorkshire cannot achieve that feat.

Middlesbrough-born Plunkett won titles with Durham in 2008 and 2009 before leaving the north-east ahead of 2013 to join his home county.

He has since gained an England Test recall, with his searing pace catching the eye, and he has also won the third championship crown of his career.

Quite how much Plunkett will be involved in Yorkshire's title defence next summer remains to be seen, with England facing Test series' against West Indies away and New Zealand and Australia at home.

But the 29-year-old paceman is backing his team-mates to build on this season's success and said: "I don't see why not.

"Not many teams like playing against Yorkshire anyway. It's a big county. Now that we've won it, they will want to beat us even more.

"But I know that we've already spoken about come November, we've got to switch back on.

"There will be no dwelling over the win. We can enjoy it now and enjoy the time off. It's been a great year but when you come back, focus on winning it back to back, which is what great teams do.

"We did it at Durham, where we won it and then won it again. We need to improve – everyone does.

"A lot of the young lads will need to step up. But somebody like Ryan Sidebottom knows what he's doing. He's a consistent performer."

It has been quite a turnaround for Plunkett, who arrived at Headingley with his career seemingly on the slide. There were even those who thought it was over following a difficult couple of years with Durham.

Yet close work with Jason Gillespie has reinvigorated him and now he is flying high again.

Plunkett said: "To come from where I was two years ago and be given the support by Yorkshire, the guys have been great. It means such a lot to help them win it. I'm absolutely over the moon.

"The first one you always remember fondly and that was a great time for me with Durham. But two years ago, I came here and was so close last year. It's a fantastic feeling and they're such a great bunch of lads."

It is set to be a busy winter for Plunkett, who jets off to America for five weeks on Friday, where he owns a house with his partner. He is then inked in for an England Performance Programme tour of South Africa in November before a possible return there with the Lions after Christmas.

If all goes well, he will then be touring the Caribbean with the England Test squad in April, a trip which could be Yorkshire-dominated.

"We all want to do well, of course we do, and the club want us to as well," said Plunkett.

"But Martyn Moxon was saying there is a danger that if I do well, Lythy, Leesy, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid, come March and April we could have lost half our team. But we've got such a strong squad, I'm sure we'd still cope."

Meanwhile, 19-year-old left-arm spinner Karl Carver has won the prestigious Brian Johnston Memorial Trust scholar of the year award.

Each year the Trust provides funding to a group of young cricketers in need of financial support to fulfil their ambition and Carver was the stand-out scholar across that group.