Australia's captain Steve Waugh warmed up for the forthcoming Ashes series with a century at Yorkshire's expense in the final Championship match of the season at Headingley yesterday.

Waugh held Kent together with an unbeaten 136 - his best knock since joining the county in the latter part of the summer.

It was also his first century since his heroic 157 in the fifth Test at The Oval last year after suffering a serious knee injury at Trent Bridge.

Waugh had previously managed only 78 runs for Kent in five innings at an average of 19.5 but his mastery on this occasion left Kent on 332 for six when bad light stopped play with nine overs remaining.

He took a long time to settle in and he was troubled after lunch during a great spell from Ryan Sidebottom, but in between he played some cracking shots, including three consecutive boundaries off Anthony McGrath who had earlier bowled a fine nine-over stint for 16 runs in which he claimed the wicket of David Fulton.

Needing a win to ease themselves off the bottom of the table, Yorkshire put Kent in to bat and Steven Kirby soon ripped out Rob Key's off-stump with an excellent delivery.

McGrath came on to have Fulton caught behind by Richard Blakey, standing up to the stumps, and Waugh could have been out straight away but his thick edge off young Nick Thornicroft sped to third man for four.

Kirby's figures were spoiled by Ed Smith, who thumped him for three fours, and he was taken off after his last two overs cost 30 runs. Sidebottom returned at the Kirkstall Lane end and in a superb over before lunch he trapped Smith lbw for 67 and had Paul Nixon dropped by Scott Richardson at first slip.

Sidebottom remained on song after the break but it was his skilful footwork which brought Yorkshire their next wicket as Nixon responded to Waugh's call for a single and Sidebottom charged down the pitch to stab the ball into the stumps with Nixon out of his ground.

Sidebottom struck again, having Mark Ealham taken low at slip by Richardson, to make Kent 132 for five and they may have been finished off if Min Patel had not batted with similar flair to Waugh in a 101 stand for the sixth wicket.

After hurrying to a 66-ball half-century with his ninth boundary, Patel missed a sweep at Richard Dawson of the next ball and was lbw but Waugh maintained his patient progress to go to his century off 194 deliveries with 14 fours.

James Tredwell was also more than a sleeping partner in an unbroken 99 stand with Waugh, who smacked a ball from Dawson into the West Stand for six.

With Kent pressing for second place in the table, they ignored bad light until Waugh walked off with 17 fours and a six off the 234 balls he had received.