Date-stamped : 21 Jul97 - 10:25 AXA Life League: Headley eases back into action By Peter Deeley at Canterbury Leicestershire (258-7) bt Kent (225) by 33 runs DEAN HEADLEY took three Leicestershire wickets in 12 balls yesterday but then expressed caution over his fitness for this week`s Test match at Headingley. Headley pulled out of last week`s championship game with Leices- tershire after straining his side during pre-match prac- tice. Kent coach John Wright warned him that if he played and aggra- vated the condition he could be on the sidelines for six weeks. But he came back for the AXA Sunday League game and showed no visible signs of the trouble in two spells of four overs, fin- ishing with figures of three for 44. Afterwards, however, he said: "Although the trouble is improv- ing a lot, I will still have to monitor it over the next three days before I am sure that I am 100 per cent fit." Headley travelled north last night with Kent col league Mark Ealham to join the England`s motivational forum prior to the fourth Ash- es Test. Immediately after bowling he said: "There is plenty of time before the game so I am not too worried yet. I haven`t felt much reaction from the strain so far." Headley, 27, took eight wickets in his Test debut at Old Traf- ford a fortnight ago but his career has been marred by a series of injuries. Back troubles kept him out of the last two Texaco one-day internationals against Australia this summer. His first spell yesterday was wicketless and produced 23 runs, but when Headley came back for his last four overs he produced the kind of bowling edge that Kent have lacked in recent days. After allowing Darren Maddy to survive a run-out chance, Headley got his revenge in the same over bowling the Leicester- shire bats- man with a slower ball. Then in his last over, after James Whitaker had hit him over mid- wicket for six, Headley produced his quickest ball of the day to bowl the Leicestershire captain, who had scored 60 from 58 de- liveries. His next ball, a yorker, removed Jon Dakin from the crease and from the game. It pinned Dakin on the right toe, trapping him leg before, and hit him such a painful blow that he is going to hospital for an X-ray when he gets home today. Headley`s fellow fast bowler Martin McCague came in for most pun- ishment, Ben Smith hitting successive sixes as he conceded 36 runs in his last three overs. The young Leicestershire paceman James Ormond finished with a ca- reer-best two for 30 as Kent completed a miserable eight days - their championship and Sunday League defeats here coming on top of the heavy defeat at Lord`s by Surrey in the final of the Benson and Hedges Cup. Nigel Llong top-scored for Kent with 52 in their all-out total of 225. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)