CRICKET umpire Dickie Bird thinks the realisation his beloved Yorkshire would be beating Japan and Australia on the Olympics medal table if it was a country is a tribute to the county's "absolutely brilliant" athletes.

Twitter users have been pointing out that competitors from the county have won four golds, two silvers and two bronzes by the end of yesterday.

As countries on the medal table are ranked first by golds won, this would put an independent Yorkshire 10th on the table, just behind Russia but ahead of Japan (two golds), Australia (one gold) and India (no
golds).

The county is also well ahead of Usain Bolt's Jamaica (two golds).

With the Brownlee brothers, including Alistair from Dewsbury, widely expected to be in the medals in the triathlon, Yorkshire's total could soon be higher.

The tally does rely on a reasonably liberal interpretation of a "Yorkshire athlete".

Star turn, of course, is Jessica Ennis. Born and bred in Sheffield, her Yorkshire-ness is beyond question.

Similarly, cyclist Ed Clancy lived for most of his life in the Huddersfield area.

Andrew Triggs-Hodge, the gold medal rower, was brought up in the Grassington area of the Yorkshire Dales.

Most problematic, in terms of definition, is another gold medal-winning rower: Kat Copeland. She rows for the Tees Rowing Club and lives in Ingleby Barwick near Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough is traditionally thought of as part of Yorkshire as it was part of the county before its break-up 40 years ago. But in the 1970s the Cleveland area was administratively separated.

Copeland's family does live a short distance away though, in the North Yorkshire town of Stokesley.

Retired Yorkshire cricketer and umpire Bird, 79, who still lives in his native Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "I think the whole thing has been tremendous, marvellous, fantastic. It's been great for the county and great for the nation. It's just what we needed.