LEEDS, England (AP):

Australia led by 94 runs with six wickets left against England at stumps yesterday, on the first day of the fourth Test after Ricky Ponting scored 78 and Peter Siddle and Stuart Clark had combined for eight wickets.

The Australians reached 196-4 at Headingley with Ponting putting on 119 with Shane Watson (51) following England's earlier capitulation for 102 after Siddle took 5-21 and Clark claimed 3-18.

Michael Clarke on 34 and Marcus North on seven were the not-out batsmen at stumps, but England's situation could have been worse if they hadn't claimed three wickets for 18 runs in a 19-ball spell after tea that saw Australia slip from 133-1 to 151-4.

Just before the close, Clarke was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Steve Harmison that caused a five-minute delay. Three balls later, another short delivery from Harmison had Clarke caught behind off what looked like his glove but he was given not out.

Harmison struck in the second over, having Simon Katich caught at short backward square leg by Ravi Bopara for a duck.

third successive Test 50

But Watson square-cut the first two balls of the innings from James Anderson to the boundary to set the tone. While Ponting took 17 runs from Graham Onions' first over - including a pull shot for six with his first ball - as Australia reached its 50 from 39 balls.

Onions had Watson lbw for 51 in the 28th over to make the score 133-2. It was Watson's third successive Test 50 as an opener.

That wicket sparked a mini-collapse, with Stuart Broad trapping Ponting lbw to end his 101-ball innings only nine deliveries later.

In his next over, Broad dismissed Michael Hussey lbw for 10 after the batsman played across the line like Ponting.

England, 1-0 up in the five-match series and seeking to reclaim the Ashes, were all out in less than 34 overs to crash to its lowest score against Australia at Headingley in 100 years. England had totaled 87 at Headingley in 1909.

Matt Prior hit an unbeaten 37 and Alastair Cook made 30, to be the only English batsmen to reach double figures after the hosts won the toss and batted on a good pitch in sunny conditions.

Siddle's figures were his Test best - including a spell of 4-3 in 14 balls after lunch - while Clark is playing in his first Test in nine months after having undergone elbow surgery.

England lost captain Andrew Strauss for 3 in the fourth over. Strauss slashed loosely at a ball from Siddle wide of off stump and was brilliantly caught at third slip by North, whose one-handed reflex grab over his right shoulder meant England fell to 11-1.

swinging delivery

Strauss could have been out lbw on the first ball of the match when he missed a swinging delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus that struck his pads in front of middle stump.

But Hilfenhaus did not have to wait long for his first wicket, as he had Ravi Bopara caught at gully for 1 by Hussey after casually playing away from his body.

Ian Bell hung around for 42 minutes but managed only 8 before he gloved a very short ball from left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. The score of 39-3 soon became 42-4.

Paul Collingwood departed without scoring after edging an out-swinger from Clark to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Clark then added a second victim by having Cook caught at first slip by Clarke after pushing at a probing ball on off stump.

Broad was caught on the last ball before lunch by Katich at short square leg off Clark for three.