Yorkshire Cricket by David Warner

Ryan Sidebottom paid the Cardiff boo-boys back for their taunts by grabbing an amazing four wickets in five balls to turn the tables on Glamorgan and bring high-flying Yorkshire victory by 37 runs in the AXA League yesterday.

The dramatic win pushed Yorkshire to the top of the table and they now have four wins from five matches.

Yet plucky Glamorgan were well on course to pass Yorkshire's highest score of the season of 225 for five when they stood on 184 for five with five overs remaining and Tony Cottey in full flow on 78 not out.

But Sidebottom completely changed the picture by bowling Darren Thomas and then trapping Waqar Younis lbw first ball - sweet revenge for Yorkshire because Waqar beat them with the bat in the NatWest Trophy match at Sophia Gardens last summer.

Steve Watkin took a single to prevent the hat-trick but Sidebottom's response was to bowl Cottey and Dean Cosker with the next two deliveries as Glamorgan dipped to 186 for nine and it was all over when Craig White rattled the stumps of last man Owen Parkin.

Sidebottom, who had also taken the first two Glamorgan wickets to fall, finished with career-best figures of six for 40, and the best analysis in the competition for Yorkshire since Paul Jarvis claimed six for 27 against Somerset at Taunton nine years ago.

It was a magnificent performance by the 20-year-old left arm swing bowler and it silenced those in the sun-drenched crowd who had earlier chanted jibes at Sidebottom because of his long hair.

"Where's your caravan?" they sang until Sidebottom sent them silently back to their own homes.

Sidebottom said: "I was getting a bit of banter at fine leg at times and all it did was help to stir me up. I have got a bit of confidence in my own ability since going on Yorkshire's pre-season tour of South Africa and I was always prepared to back myself.

"I had to come on at the death when the game seemed to be slipping away from us but I knew I could do it and the chanting only spurred me on."

Cottey's superbly controlled knock, which came off 87 balls and contained four boundaries, kept Glamorgan well up with the required asking rate and until their collapse they had always been well ahead of Yorkshire after a corresponding number of overs.

But they were completely overwhelmed by the late turn of events which saw the last six wickets fall for seven runs in three overs, Gavin Hamilton triggering it all by getting Gary Butcher brilliantly caught at long on by Michael Vaughan.Cottey first worried Yorkshire by adding 62 for the third wicket with 20-year-old Michael Powell, who played several crisp strokes in his 33, but it was Cottey's fifth wicket partnership of 75 in 12 overs with Butcher which appeared to have put Glamorgan in command.

The game could easily have been lost before Sidebottom's intervention but for marvellous bowling by White who conceded only 17 runs in 6.1 overs and always kept it tight at his end.Put in to bat, Yorkshire topped 200 for the first time this season, skipper David Byas leading the romp with 71 off 82 balls with four fours and a six.

Byas dashed up 94 for the third wicket with Australian Darren Lehmann who made a sprightly 47 and showed few signs of being bothered by the back injury which caused him to have a runner at Northampton last Sunday.

The most remarkable innings for Yorkshire, however, came from Anthony McGrath who played an assortment of improvised and orthodox shots while making an unbeaten 55 off only 37 balls with five fours and a six and figuring in a 79 stand for the fourth wicket with Byas.

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