A SUPERB century on a difficult pitch from Jacques Rudolph helped Yorkshire to a competitive total in their first innings against Nottinghamshire at Headingley yesterday.

Michael Vaughan's resurgence was finally ended by England team-mate Stuart Broad, eight runs shy of what would have been a morale-boosting 50.

Rudolph spent over five hours at the crease and the only way it seemed he wouldn't make the milestone was if he ran out of partners.

He brought up his ton by driving Mark Ealham through the covers and sprinting through for three with Matthew Hoggard at the other end.

"It's always pleasing to get a hundred," said Rudolph. "I probably needed a barn door to get Sidebottom away with the second new ball! On a pitch like this though, when the ball is swinging all over the place, you have to go to back to your basics and I had to fight through it in the end."

Rudolph has now made at least 50 in three of Yorkshire's last four games and has twice gone on to make a hundred, but the South African thinks he still has more in the tank.

"To be honest I haven't been totally comfortable yet," he said. "I think I've probably got another 20 or 30 per cent to my game that I've still to give."

Yorkshire were bowled out for 299, one run short of a third point after falling just short of a maximum when succumbing for 398 against Hampshire last week.

Disappointing though it was, it needed a major rescue operation from Rudolph and Gerard Brophy, with a century partnership, to lift Yorkshire anywhere near 300.

At 78 for one the home side were in control with Vaughan looking more than capable of making a big score. But when Anthony Mc- Grath was caught behind off Charlie Shreck for 36, they began to wobble.

Yorkshire briefly recovered with Vaughan on a mission.

Facing Broad for the first time, he banished him for a superb six over deep square leg.

But shortly afterwards, he attempted the same shot, only to be caught five yards in from the boundary by Samit Patel.

After Andrew Gale and Adil Rashid came and went Yorkshire were in trouble on 111 for five but Brophy and Rudolph's heroics steadied the ship until Brophy was brilliantly bowled by Graham Swann, having made his way to a half century.

Tim Bresnan's plucky 18 put Yorkshire back on track for 300 but another slump saw the home side finish just shy, Morne Morkel lasting just three balls on his debut.

Darren Gough was bowled by Swann for three and Hoggard was last man out when he fell lbw to Swann.

Sidebottom bowled brilliantly and will wonder how he finished the first innings without a wicket to his name.

He sent down an incredible 12 maidens in his 24 overs.

But what the former Yorkshire bowler couldn't do in his mammoth spell, Hoggard achieved with his tenth ball.

The visitors had just three overs to bat before the close but Hoggard took a crucial scalp with the light fading.

The 6ft 11in former Essex opener Will Jefferson was dismissed lbw for a duck and Nottinghamshire were nought for one at stumps.

Yorkshire v Notts

At Headingley Carnegie.

Overnight: Yorkshire 51-1.

Yorkshire First Innings

M P Vaughan c Patel b Broad .... 42

A McGrath c Read b Shreck .... 36

J A Rudolph not out ....104

A W Gale lbw b Broad .... 4

A U Rashid c Jefferson b Broad ... 4

G L Brophy b Swann ..... 63

T T Bresnan run out .... 18

M Morkel lbw b Swann .... 0

D Gough b Swann .... 3

M J Hoggard lbw b Swann

.... 12

Extras (lb4 pens 0)

...... 4

Total (121.5 overs)

......299

Fall: 1-33 2-78 3-96 4-103 5-111 6-217 7-269 8- 271 9-275

Bowling: Sidebottom 24-12-45-0. Shreck 33-10- 78-1. Broad 25-5-95-3. Ealham 24-7-52-1.

Swann 15.5-4-25-4.

Nottinghamshire First Innings Close

W I Jefferson lbw b Hoggard .... 0

M J Wood not out .... 0

Extras (pens 0) ..... 0

Total 1 wkt (2.4 overs) ... 0

Fall: 1-0

Bonus Pts: Yorkshire 2 Nottinghamshire 3

Bowling: Hoggard 1.4-1-0-1. M Morkel 1-1-0-0.