RYAN Sidebottom, Yorkshire's Rolls Royce, starred again as the county cruised into pole position in the LV= County Championship title race with an emphatic win over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

The 37-year-old left-arm swing bowler took five second-innings wickets as the hosts, chasing an unlikely 434 to win, slipped from 43-1 overnight to 259 all out in the early stages of the fourth evening.

Sidebottom returned match figures of 11-76 from 31 overs, the second best of his career, to underpin a 174-run victory and the capture of 20 points.

Yorkshire are now 24 clear of second-placed Middlesex having won six of their nine matches. Middlesex have played a game more.

Coach Jason Gillespie regularly refers to Sidebottom, who is closing in on 1,000 wickets in all forms of professional cricket, as Yorkshire's Rolls Royce – and it is easy to see why.

Having trapped Varun Chopra lbw late on day three to add to his first-innings 6-34, he picked up three more wickets either side of lunch and then one more with the second new ball as the visitors closed in.

He bowled Jonathan Trott around his legs and trapped Laurie Evans lbw in three balls in the 21st over of the innings, the seventh of the day, before snaring Ian Westwood lbw and bowling Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

Gillespie said: "Ryan bowled a ruthless line and length. He put a shoebox on a length and was hitting it all the time and attacking that off-stump.

"He was challenging the batsmen with every ball he bowled. It was an exceptional performance. He just keeps on going. It's brilliant.

"He's got the desire and a great attitude. All the other lads in the dressing room look up to him. What more can you ask from a senior pro?"

Jack Brooks struck twice in adding to wickets for Steve Patterson, James Middlebrook and Tim Bresnan, who wrapped up the win when he trapped centurion Sam Hain lbw with 20.1 overs of the day's allocation unused.

Yorkshire's next Championship match is against Worcestershire at Scarborough, starting a week on Sunday.