RYAN SIDEBOTTOM insists Yorkshire are ready to regain the Specsavers County Championship title in 2017.

The county’s most recent summer was definitely a case of so near, yet so far.

Yorkshire’s players readily accept they weren't at their best in Championship cricket, yet they still pushed eventual winners Middlesex all the way to the final session of the campaign at Lord’s in September.

The White Rose have been installed as the bookies’ favourites to win a third title in four years next summer.

And Sidebottom, who also hopes to see an improvement on two semi-final finishes in white-ball cricket, says he has already sensed a strong desire within the squad to prove them right.

“The lads have got the bit between their teeth having come so close last season,” said the veteran left-arm seam bowler.

“We showed a lot of other qualities last summer because we didn’t actually play that well. To take it to the last day was a great effort, but we didn’t quite put it together as a team.

“There were times when we were a bit loose, and we need to get that together.

“I’ve mentioned before about when we went to Sri Lanka on pre-season after losing out to Durham in 2013, and I could sense a real desire to hit back from the lads.

“I’ve sensed the same sort of thing this year in training. The lads look really strong.

“Two semi-finals in the limited overs stuff and coming so close in the Championship – we know we are capable.

“The batting just wasn’t consistent enough last season.

“You need your top six to score the bulk of the runs.

“Leesy (Alex Lees) and Lythy (Adam Lyth) both scored 1,000 runs, but you need others to back it up. You can’t have one player scoring a hundred and others 100 between them. You won’t win many games.

“People also look at us as the best bowling attack, but we probably only had two bowlers who bowled well on a given day rather than four of us. Previously, all four of us would be switched on.

“Those are the two areas to look at. We’re a very honest team, and we didn’t play well enough.

“There were a couple of games we should have won and drawn. That’s another 20 points, and it would have been won at a canter.

“We’re close, but we need to play better.”

Such is Sidebottom’s confidence in his team-mates’ ability, he continued: “If we play our best, teams can’t live with us on our day.

“But you look at Division One, and it’s getting stronger and stronger. Teams are signing players. Some are Kolpaks, which I don’t agree with.”

The 38-year-old – he will be 39 midway through January – is set to continue his recent trend of only playing Championship cricket through a summer.

But the England World T20 winner of 2010 will no doubt be passing on his experience to his team-mates regarding how to make the extra step to title winners.

“In one-day cricket, we are still a bit behind in our skill set,” he added.

“Things like how to construct an innings spring to mind. We haven’t scored too many one-day hundreds in recent years.

“With the ball, you need six or seven slower balls and to think on your feet. You need to have three or four different plans.”