WHAT a triumphant return to Headingley Carnegie it was for Ryan Sidebottom, who left Yorkshire under a cloud at the end of the 2003 season when he packed his bags and made off to Nottinghamshire.

And what good news it was for England that the 29-year-old left-arm swing bowler should return after six years in the Test wilderness to snatch a total of eight wickets for 86 runs and send the West Indies tumbling to a record defeat by an innings and 283 runs.

So superior was Sidebottom's bowling to that of any of his Test colleagues that both England and Yorkshire were made to regret that he has not been a part of their armoury in recent years.

The man-of-the-match award at the end of the Headingley Test went to Kevin Pietersen for his dashing 226 but Sidebottom was the player who should have been up on the rostrum receiving it.

I am not belittling Pietersen's effort, or Michael Vaughan's fairytale comeback century, but the West Indies' attack was so feeble that most capable batsmen should have been able to make runs.

It was Sidebottom who made victory possible in the rain-hit encounter by swinging the ball in at a good pace and aiming at the stumps which is something that other England bowlers seem incapable of doing these days.

I heard it said by one pundit on Test Match Special that England ought to be congratulated for bringing back Sidebottom after a six-year absence and giving him another chance.

The truth is that it is a poor reflection on the former Duncan Fletcher-led regime that Sidebottom was never once seriously considered during that period, despite his success with Yorkshire and then Nottinghamshire.

Even now, he may have continued to go unnoticed had other more favoured alternatives not been either badly out of form or injured - as was the case with Matthew Hoggard, Sidebottom's former team-mate at Yorkshire.

Unlike certain previous fast bowlers, however, Sidebottom should not become one of an elite band who are chosen specifically for the Headingley Test match and are then never seen or heard of again, Yorkshiremen Neil Mallender and Mike Smith being cases in point.

Sidebottom cannot fail to have impressed new England coach Peter Moores and if he continues to seize his chances he still has enough years in him to enjoy a successful career at international level.

It was perfectly fitting that Ryan should make such a big impact at Headingley where a Sidebottom has been part of the scene for the past 34 years - ever since dad Arnie made his Yorkshire debut in 1973 before going on to take 558 first class wickets for his native county.

Both father and son have been familiar and popular figures on the Yorkshire scene and it is sad that neither of them is no longer there.

Ryan, of course, left in some acrimony in 2003 at the end of a season which started very well for him and ended with him being unable to squeeze his way back into the side.

When he was playing, no opposing side suffered more than Derbyshire because he captured 7-97 against them at Headingley and a few weeks later he caused further mayhem by claiming 6-38 in the first innings at Derby and nine wickets in the match.

Then it all began to go sour for Sidebottom in the Championship match against Hampshire at Scarborough in late July when he stumbled over the boundary rope during a morning practice session and severely sprained his ankle. The injury kept him out for three weeks and he was due to return in the next Championship game at North Marine Road but had to pull out at the last minute with a heavy cold.

Having recovered from his illness he expected to be included in the side for the penultimate match of the season against Worcestershire at New Road but with no Test match to drain their resources Yorkshire already had Hoggard, Craig White, Chris Silverwood and Steve Kirby to choose from.

Sidebottom was considered surplus to requirements, despite his 35 wickets that summer at 20.28 runs apiece - and a rift opened up between himself and the club which could not be healed and he accepted a lucrative offer from Nottinghamshire.

Ironically, the 2003 season also saw the end of Arnie's association with Yorkshire, despite managing the second team and guiding them to the Second XI Championship title for the first time in 12 years. The restructuring of the coaching staff meant there was role for him to fill.

Best of mates

YORKSHIRE'S England bowler Matthew Hoggard has an extra incentive to return to Test action as soon as possible as he will be able to renew his friendship with South African Allan Donald.

The two played together for Free State in the late 1990s and Hoggard even baby-sat Donald's children when he was playing international matches.

Hoggard has been out since the first Test at Lord's with a groin strain and hopes to tap into Donald's vast experience as the South African begins a stint as a fast-bowling coach with the England team.

"Allan and I go back a long way since we played together for Free State in the late 1990s," said Hoggard, who even did his bit to help Donald make contact with Peter Moores by giving him the new England coach's mobile phone number.

"I know for a fact that the England bowlers will enjoy working with him. But if we're not doing our job properly, he'll let us know in no uncertain terms," added Hoggard.

Citizen's attest

ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan is to write a letter to the Home Office in support of the application by former Yorkshire all-rounder, Ian Harvey, for British citizenship.

The Australian, now with Derbyshire, has had his application rejected three times because of a drink-drive offence in April, and because of the ruling he cannot now play for Derbyshire unless one of their overseas players is out of action for at least a three-week period.

Derbyshire hope that with Vaughan now testifying to the character of Harvey, the Home Office may be persuaded to change their mind.

Big screen at Bridge

YORKSHIRE 2nds will be playing a three-day match against Scotland A' at Stamford Bridge starting next Tuesday (11am).

After play on Wednesday, the Scotland European Football Championship qualifier against the Faroe Isles is being shown in the cricket pavilion (7.30pm).

Roses Swingers

GEOFF Boycott is all set to take part in another Battle of the Roses - but this time it will be at golf and not cricket.

The former Yorkshire and England batsman has said he is available to play in the third annual golf match involving past and present members of Yorkshire and Lancashire CCC which will take place on the course at the Marriott Hollings Hall Hotel, Baildon, on Monday.

The event is being organised by former Lancashire captain, David Hughes. Proceeds will be shared equally between the two counties' cricket academies.

Firms from both sides of the Pennines are taking part and each team of four will include a celebrity cricketer.

As well as Boycott, other Yorkshire players expected to take part include Deon Kruis, Matthew Wood, Martyn Moxon, Barrie Leadbeater, Peter Hartley and Alan Ramage. The Red Rose representation will include Mark Chilton, Glen Chapple, Paul Horton, Gary Yates, Warren Hegg, Ian Austin, Jack Simmons, David Hughes and Steve Titchard.