YORKSHIRE ended their season in a blaze of glory with a hint of better things to come as Phoenix shot down Kent Spitfires by 79 runs at Headingley yesterday in the Norwich Union League.

They never looked back after Australian Matthew Elliott and Anthony McGrath thrashed the ball to all parts of the field in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 198 in just 25 overs which rushed Yorkshire to a final score of 299-3.

Kent made a positive start to their reply but the target proved well beyond them once Australia's captain Steve Waugh was out and they were dismissed for 220 with a full eight overs remaining.

Elliott again gave ample evidence of what a splendid replacement he has been for Darren Lehmann over the last few weeks by smashing 115, Yorkshire's biggest knock of the season in the competition.

The tall left-hander has now made three centuries in six one-day innings since joining Yorkshire and this faultless effort contained 11 fours and two sixes and came off exactly 100 balls.

But at times McGrath was even more destructive while charging to 85 from 74 deliveries with five fours and three sixes.

All of McGrath's big hits were whacking straight drives in one over from Mark Ealham in which he also struck him for four and a single. Geraint Jones made a desperate attempt to catch one of the drives but he could do no more than help the ball over the rope.

It was rich entertainment for the appreciative crowd and so firmly in command were Elliott and McGrath that 105 runs gushed from the last ten overs, their 199 stand being being the second highest for any wicket by Yorkshire.

With Craig White, Michael Lumb and Richard Blakey also contributing, the fans were able to applaud 27 fours and seven sixes in a record score for a county league match at Headingley, the previous best of 260-6 against Lancashire ten years' ago being easily overtaken.

Tim Bresnan made a quick breakthrough for Yorkshire in his first over as Kent's one-day captain Matthew Fleming said a disappointing farewell to county cricket by mistiming a drive for Ryan Sidebottom to take an easy catch at mid-on.

Fleming has been an outstanding ambassador and a tough competitor and all the Yorkshire players gathered in a group to applaud him off the field.

Bresnan and fellow 17-year-old paceman Nick Thornicroft were given some rough treatment, Ealham driving one of two sixes in an over from Bresnan on to the football stand roof, but Sidebottom came in to spread-eagle Ealham's middle and off-stumps after he had slammed 35 from 26 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Andy Gray entered the attack and, alas for Kent, sent back Ed Smith and Jones in his first over but the killer blow for the visitors came when Waugh played Sidebottom towards the square leg boundary and in attempting a second was run out by Elliott's direct hit with only one stump to aim at.

McGrath had Matthew Walker caught behind and gained lbw decisions with consecutive deliveries against Paul Nixon and Jamie Tredwell to give him career-best figures of three for 39. Gray was also able to boast his best figures of 4-34 when he brought the curtain down by having Alex Loudon and David Masters taken on the boundary edge off successive balls.

Updated: 12:22 Monday, September 23, 2002