Yorkshire limped into a first innings lead at Headingley today after bowling out Kent for only 129, their last three wickets falling this morning for the addition of two runs with Ryan Sidebottom finishing with career-best figures of five for 27.

On a pitch of uneven bounce, Yorkshire slumped to 128 for eight before Chris Silverwood hit a boundary to put them in front.

Michael Vaughan came in at No 6 after returning from the England camp too late to open the innings but he made only nine before being caught behind off Kent skipper Matthew Fleming.Vaughan had dashed back from Edgbaston but did not arrive in time to open the Yorkshire innings, James Middlebrook given the job of going in first with David Byas.

However, skipper Byas did not last long as he drove down the wrong line and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Paul Nixon off David Maters.Blakey was next in and he and Middlebrook exercised great care, both batsmen being on six at 27-1 when Blakey opened out with a glorious cover drive off Masters.

Kent began the second day on 127-7 and in the second over from Gavin Hamilton, Min Patel edged an out-swinger into the gloves of Richard Blakey for the wicketkeeper to hold his fourth catch.It quickly became five for Blakey as he held on to Masters in Hamilton's next over and the innings was wrapped up by Ryan Sidebottom when he bowled Rahul Dravid for 46 off 199 balls with four boundaries - Sidebottom finished with career best figures of 5-27 off 18.2 overs.

Although Yorkshire had been told verbally by Lord's that Vaughan could resume his place in the Championship match, the laws state that once a player has left the game he cannot return.However, Kent captain Matthew Fleming voiced no objection to Vaughan coming back."It would do English cricket no good at all if Vaughan could not return," said Fleming. "If the law says that Vaughan cannot play, then the law is an ass."

Sidebottom helped Yorkshire make up for lost time yesterday with the most explosive spell of his career.The left-arm swing bowler, who had just returned to the team after a groin injury, swept aside the early batting with four wickets for two runs in 11 balls as Kent slumped to 26 for five.It was the first time Sidebottom had captured four wickets in a Championship innings and it was only shortly before the toss that Yorkshire decided to play him ahead of Paul Hutchison.

Bursts of light rain delayed the start until after an early lunch and Kent's snail-like pace was largely due to wayward bowling from Chris Silverwood and Matthew Hoggard.Silverwood had difficulty finding a decent line in his first Championship match of the season after recovering from a heel injury, and Kent scraped together only five by the tenth over when David Fulton was lbw to Hoggard whose figures of 8-6-2-1 when rested were rather flattering.

However, Sidebottom put the skids under Kent with three wickets in four balls, Alan Wells caught behind before Matthew Walker and Alan Ealham went to consecutive deliveries, Walker being lbw offering no stroke and Ealham edging a splendid deliveries which slanted across him.Sidebottom at this stage had taken four for six in eight overs but Kent's overseas batsman, Dravid, survived the storm and rallied Kent with an impressive 52 stand in 20 overs with Nixon.

Kent - First Innings 129 (Sidebottom 5-27).

Yorkshire - First Innings: D Byas c Nixon b Masters 14, J Middlebrook lbw Ealham 18, R Blakey run out 22, D Lehmann c Nixon b Masters 28, M Wood c Dravid b Ealham 0, M Vaughan c Nixon b Fleming 9, G Fellows c Patel b Saggers 13, G Hamilton lbw Saggers 18, C Silverwood not out 19, R Sidebottom not out 1, Extras 3, Total (8 wkts) 145. Overs 65

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-54, 3-84, 4-84, 5-88, 6-99, 7-117, 8-128.