Andrew Gale is hoping Yorkshire can make the most of their remaining four home games as they look to climb the Specsavers County Championship table.
Coach Gale was delighted to see his side extend an excellent recent record in Roses matches with a 118-run victory over relegation haunted Lancashire inside three days at Emirates Old Trafford.
Yorkshire, defending a 323 target, claimed four wickets for 10 runs inside the first 45 minutes of play, including three of them to Joe Root’s off-spinners.
The England Test captain claimed career best figures of 4-5 from 7.4 overs in Lancashire’s 204 all out, bowling Jimmy Anderson to wrap up the win.
Late on day two, he had another Test colleague, Jos Buttler, caught at leg slip, and had Graham Onions caught behind and Matthew Parkinson caught at slip.
Yorkshire started this match second-bottom in Division One, three points behind Lancashire, who they have not lost to since 2011, winning four.
Having taken 19 points, they are now 17 clear of the Red Rose having won three from eight matches and have a game in hand on their arch-rivals.
Fifth-placed Yorkshire also have an 18-point advantage over Hampshire, who are second-bottom.
“That’s an awesome win,” said Gale.
“To come here and take the points is a fantastic effort. It was a very up and down game and a great spectacle for county cricket.
“To get bowled out for 190 (first innings) with the batting line-up we had, a hat-trick, I thought we were 100 short of where we wanted to be on that pitch.
“But to come out and bowl in the fashion we did, it got us back in the game.
“We have four home games out of the last six, with one at Scarborough.
“We’re quite confident where we’re at. We know there are areas we have to improve, but we have to keep working hard. If we do, we’ll be in the right place in the table.”
Gale praised a number of key individual contributions, including “golden arm” Root.
He said: “I thought Harry Brook’s knock (55) in the second innings was outstanding, and Adam Lyth (70) in the first as well. He hasn’t had the best time of it this year, but he played a real sold knock there.
“The Harry and Jonny Bairstow century partnership in the second innings, the way they counter-punched, was very important.
“We knew we were in trouble, but they were really positive and put them right on the back foot within a couple of hours.”
Gale was delighted with the response from their most recent Championship defeat against Surrey at Scarborough, where their next match is against bottom side Worcestershire next month (August 19).
“Given the team we had out, we knew it was a big game,” he said.
“We haven’t dominated the game, but we played well enough to get over the line.”
On-loan leg-spinner Josh Poysden claimed one wicket in seven second-innings overs, with Gale adding: “I thought he did well, although he looked a bit rusty.
“He hasn’t bowled a lot of overs in the middle this year. He just needs to bowl and get more confident.
“Hopefully we can get him for an extended period of time towards the back end of the season. We’ll have a look at it.”
Yorkshire’s attentions now return to the second half of the Vitality Blast North Group stage.
Meanwhile, Ben Coad will have a scan on a side injury he sustained late on day two during Lancashire’s second innings.