Lancashire's seam bowling all-rounder Tom Smith claimed a career-best six wickets at Old Trafford today to heighten Yorkshire's County Championship relegation fears.

The White Rose county, without an LV Division One win for nearly 14 months, won the toss and elected to bat first but Andrew Gale top-scored with just 54 as his side were bowled out for 181 inside 53 overs on day one.

Smith, 23, was the star of the show for Lancashire with six for 46 from 13 consecutive overs while Sajid Mahmood chipped in with three for 57 from 14.3.

Smith, who later opened the batting to help the hosts to 106 without loss, had only claimed three Championship wickets all season prior to this fixture.

Neither he nor Mahmood were chosen to take part in Lancashire's Twenty20 Cup quarter-final bowl-out defeat against Somerset in the Indoor Cricket Centre here on Thursday.

Aided by a little bit of movement and some very bad Yorkshire batting, Smith claimed the wickets of Anthony McGrath, Joe Sayers (34), Jonny Bairstow, Gerard Brophy, Tim Bresnan and Rich Pyrah.

The tone was set for Yorkshire's day when Jacques Rudolph was bowled shouldering arms to Mahmood in the 13th over.

But their worst period came straight after lunch when they lost five wickets for 31 runs in 10 overs to slump from 91 for three to 122 for eight, Smith claiming four of them.

He forced Bairstow to edge to Mark Chilton at third slip with the first ball after lunch and got Brophy caught at mid-on and Bresnan caught behind in the 34th over. He later forced Pyrah to edge behind to Luke Sutton.

Gale has fond memories of this fixture having scored 136 last season and scored 99 as his side secured a draw against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough this time last week.

He hit seven fours and one six in his 93-ball innings. He pulled Oliver Newby for six and cut him for four in successive deliveries to reach his fifty.

He and Ajmal Shahzad shared 36 for the ninth wicket, the second highest partnership of the innings behind the opening stand of 39 between Rudolph and Sayers, but Gale was caught at point by Mal Loye off Mahmood.

Tail-ender Shahzad hit four boundaries in a useful unbeaten 26 off 42 balls.

Although there was a little bit of help for the bowlers it is generally a good pitch to bat on.

Paul Horton and Smith demonstrated that as they shared their side's best opening partnership of the Championship season.

Horton reached his fourth fifty off 78 balls with seven fours and made it to 61 when rain and bad light forced the players off the field seven overs early. Smith will resume tomorrow on 40 and Lancashire still trail by 75.