Ryan Sidebottom struck a great blow for Yorkshire in their opening Cricinfo Championship match of the season today by capturing the wicket of Marcus Trescothick for only 12.

And when his partner Piran Holloway also departed Somerset were 63 for two after being put in to bat.

Trescothick's scalp was a big one for Sidebottom to get because the Somerset and England opener has been in prime form, hitting a total of four centuries, one in the Championship and three in the Benson and Hedges Cup.

There were two changes to the Yorkshire side which beat Kent at Canterbury with two balls to spare in their opening Championship game, Test stars Darren Gough and Craig White coming in for Michael Lumb and the injured Matthew Hoggard.

Pitch liaison officer Raman Subba Row was at the ground well before the start but appeared to be very happy with the preparation of the pitch and the square.

The flags on the club's offices were flying at half mast following the death of Somerset's immediate past president John Luff.

Yorkshire will be seeing a lot of Somerset over the next couple of weeks because in addition to meeting them at Headingley on Sunday in the National League they have also been drawn against them at Taunton in the quarter finals of the B&H Cup on May 23.

Gough opened up with a maiden from the Kirkstall Lane end to Holloway but Chris Silverwood proved to be far more expensive in his first over.

His first ball to Trescothick was a no-ball off which a single was scored and he went on to overstep the mark again after Holloway had pulled him for four, ten runs coming off the over.

Three overs from Silverwood cost him 18 runs and contained three no-balls and a wide. It was hardly surprising, therefore, that he should be replaced by Sidebottom.

In his second over he got a ball to stop on Trescothick who patted it back for an easy return catch to depart for 12 out of 34 for one in the tenth over.

Somerset's Aussie captain Jamie Cox joined Holloway who smashed Sidebottom through mid-wicket for four. But Silverwood then got the batsman to touch an outswinger to Blakey.