Red-haired firebrand Steven Kirby achieved Yorkshire's best match figures in 36 years at Taunton yesterday as well as completing his own career-best return of eight for 80 in the ten-wicket Championship triumph over Somerset.

The last time a Yorkshire bowler came out of a game with better overall figures was when off-spinner Ray Illingworth collected 14 for 64 against Gloucestershire at Harrogate in 1967 to win the Championship.

As well as Kirby's eight for 80 being the best by a Yorkshire bowler since Craig White's eight for 55 at Gloucester in 1998, his innings and match returns were also the best by anyone in the Championship this season.

Kirby, who topped 100 first-class wickets during the course of the game, exceeded his previous best match analysis of 12 for 72 against Leicestershire at Headingley in 2001. When the final day began, Somerset still trailed by 24 with four wickets in hand and Chris Silverwood shared the attack with Kirby, who had already taken four second innings wickets for 48 runs.

Ian Blackwell and Aaron Laraman quickly set about wiping out the deficit and they were one run away from levelling the scores when Blackwell played a weak stroke outside off-stump at Kirby and was well caught by Simon Guy diving low to his left.

Kirby continued to be a menace, but runs flowed at the other end as Laraman and West Indian Nixon McLean punished Silverwood.

Silverwood was savaged for two sixes, two fours and a two by McLean in one over, the batsman helping himself to two further fours soon afterwards.

But then Kirby took charge as McLean sliced him to Andy Gray on the cover point boundary, his quickfire 35 being made off 21 balls, and later in the over he bowled Steffan Jones as he lunged forward.

Kirby wrapped up the innings at 306, Yuvraj holding a stunning catch at second slip to dispose of last man Simon Francis, and Yorkshire were left to make 70 for their first Championship win since later April.

Matthew Wood and Stephen Fleming made 29 together before lunch, the only scare coming when Fleming was put down in the gully by Laraman, but there were no further alarms, the runs being knocked off in 13 overs with Wood making 30 and Fleming 40.

Yorkshire gained a maximum 22 points from the match but then had a quarter point deducted by the umpires because of a slow over rate. Told it was the best Yorkshire bowling performance since Ray Illingworth in 1967, Kirby said: "I honestly don't know what to say, I am really shocked by the news.

"It may have been my day today but the other lads have been bowling brilliantly and it could have been anyone of them who had bagged the wickets.

"There has been a lot of criticism of me in the past that I only take wickets on helpful and responsive pitches so it was nice to be successful on the good Taunton track."

Kirby said that he had learned a lot at the Academy in Australia a couple of winters ago and also from Fleming over the past two weeks. He also denied that he went too far with his on-the-field antics.

"There is a time and a place for it and you learn from experience but I cannot change the way I am. I am not going to be made to look a complete chop out there and although there is occasionally some banter more often than not I am only giving the batsmen a glare."