YORKSHIRE squandered the chance of overwhelming Kent after bowling them out for only 129 at Headingley yesterday and in the end were grateful to pick up a first innings lead of 20.

Kent then lost two wickets before wiping out the arrears and they closed on 36 for three with the advantage still with Yorkshire - but less convincingly than may have been the case.

A total of 16 wickets toppled in the day leading to speculation that a pitch inspector may get called in and although there was nothing dangerous about the strip the ball regularly shot through low, making it impossible to play shots with any confidence.

In a frenzied start to the second day, Kent lost their last three wickets for the addition of only two runs with Ryan Sidebottom bowling the stubborn Rahul Dravid for 46 to give him career-best figures of five for 27.

Michael Vaughan was still dashing back from Edgbaston where he was unwanted by England while Kent were subsiding and in his absence James Middlebrook was promoted to open the innings with skipper David Byas.

Middlebrook was certainly not overawed by his promotion and he helped to build a pretty solid foundation which did not start to crumble until he was third out at 84, lbw to Mark Ealham.

Byas had earlier been caught behind driving down the wrong line at David Masters and Richard Blakey's useful innings was abruptly ended when he cut at captain Matthew Fleming and was run out by Masters' direct hit from backward point as he tried a second run.

Matthew Wood was caught first ball in the slips at the second attempt by Dravid to bring in Vaughan at 84 for four and he did not have to play at Ealham's hat-trick attempt.

With Darren Lehmann starting well, a big Yorkshire score still seemed a strong possibility and when the Australian struck Fleming to the cover boundary for his first four it took him beyond 3,000 Championship runs for his adopted county in only his 50th innings.

Lehmann is averaging around 60 in the competition but he was out for 28 on this occasion following a casual cut at Masters which finished up in Paul Nixon's gloves, and when Vaughan was caught behind off one from Fleming which kept low outside off-stump, Yorkshire were struggling on 99 for six.

All four of Kent's pace quartet bowled demanding spells and after Martin Saggers had dismissed Gary Fellows and Gavin Hamilton, it was left to Chris Silverwood to nudge Yorkshire in front during a 21 stand for the ninth wicket with Sidebottom, who contributed a single in 15 overs before being lbw to Fleming who polished of Matthew Hoggard in the same over.

Kent were quickly in trouble as Lehmann at mid-wicket pounced on a firm clip from David Fulton off Hoggard and they had still not got their noses in front when a fine delivery from Silverwood found the inside edge of Dravid's bat.

Alan Wells was lbw to Sidebottom but Robert Key and Matthew Walker stubbornly denied Yorkshire any further successes, Key doggedly holding out for 111 minutes for his ten runs.

SCOREBOARD

Yorkshire v Kent

at Headingley

Yorkshire Won Toss

Kent First Innings

Fulton lbw b Hoggard 3

Key c Middlebrook b Sidebottom 3

Dravid b Sidebottom 46

Wells c Blakey b Sidebottom 2

Walker lbw b Sidebottom 0

Ealham c Blakey b Sidebottom 0

Nixon lbw b Hoggard 27

Fleming c Blakey b Silverwood 29

Patel c Blakey b Hamilton 1

Masters c Blakey b Hamilton 0

Saggars not out 0

Extras b7 lb9 nb2 18

Total (75.2 overs) 129

Fall: 1-5 2-18 3-26 4-26 5-26 6-78 7-121 8-129 9-129

Bowling: Silverwood 17-7-31-1 Hoggard 17-10-16-2 Hamilton 18-9-27-2 Sidebottom 18.2-8-27-5 Middlebrook 5-1-12-0

Yorkshire First Innings

Byas c Nixon b Masters 14

Middlebrook lbw b Ealham 18

Blakey run out 22

Lehmann c Nixon b Masters 28

Wood c Dravid b Ealham 0

Vaughan c Nixon b Fleming 9

Fellows c Patel b Saggers 13

Hamilton not out 11

Silverwood not out 23

Sidebottom lbw b Fleming 1

Hoggard lbw b Fleming 0

Extras lb3 3

Total (68 overs) 149

Fall: 1-21 2-54 3-84 4-84 5-88 6-99 7-117 8-128 9-149

Bowling: Ealham 19-6-41-2 Saggers 17-4-35-2 Masters 13-5-33-2 Fleming 16-6-37-3 Patel 3-3-0-0.

Kent Second Innings close

Fulton c Lehmann b Hoggard 1

Key not out 10

Dravid c Blakey b Silverwood 6

Wells lbw b Sidebottom 7

Walker not out 6

Extras b4 nb2 6

Total for 3 wickets (27 overs) 36

Fall: 1-1 2-12 3-25

Bowling: Silverwood 9-6-7-1 Hoggard 6-4-11-1 Sidebottom 6-4-3-1 Hamilton 5-1-11-0 Middlebrook 1-1-0-0.

Bonus points: Yorkshire 3 Kent 3