Mitch Claydon picked up four wickets as Kent bowled Loughborough MCCU out for 271 on a steady, if unspectacular day’s cricket at Canterbury.

Kent got their opening First Class game of the season underway at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, albeit 24 hours late after the first day’s play was completely washed out by rain.

Mitch Claydon (4-50) was the pick of the bowlers for Kent in an attritional day’s cricket that very much still had a “pre-season feel” to it, while Devon Endersby and Will MacVicar both made maiden First Class fifties for Loughborough MCCU.

The home side would have perhaps hoped to have bowled their opponents out for fewer than they did, but some resilient batting from the visitors on a slow pitch held them up somewhat.

Of the 12 named in the matchday squad, Matt Hunn was the one to miss out, giving Robbie Joseph another chance to impress, and David Griffiths his First Class debut for Kent, as returning skipper Rob Key won the toss and elected to field.

It was Joseph who picked up the first wicket of the day, as he found the edge of Mark Best’s bat, the opener gone for a single, caught by Darren Stevens at first slip.

That brought Jack Sterland to the crease, who added 52 for the second wicket with opening batsman Anish Patel. Sterland was caught at deep square leg by Sam Northeast for 27, giving David Griffiths his maiden First Class wicket for Kent, and leaving the score at 62-2.

Next to join Patel at the crease was Devon Endersby, and again the pair put together a solid, if unspectacular partnership, taking their side up to lunch on 91-2, after a 36-over opening session.

Patel fell one short of his fifty not long after lunch, edging Mitch Claydon to Stevens, bringing Will MacVicar to the crease.

Endersby would reach his half-century later in the afternoon session, bringing up the milestone off Robbie Joseph, his knock coming from 87 balls with seven boundaries, his previous best in First Class cricket being just 22.

He too would fall though, dismissed on 53 after being bowled by Adam Ball; the left-armer picking up the wicket with his first delivery having been recalled to the attack by captain Rob Key.

Gavin Baker was the new man in, but didn’t stay too long, dismissed by Joseph for 3, before Ball picked up his second wicket when he removed Michael Burgess for 16.

Mitch Claydon ended the afternoon on a high for Kent, as he picked up two wickets with the final two balls of the session. Firstly Kent spinner Adam Riley, captaining Loughborough MCCU in this game, was bowled shouldering arms for 6, before Adam Soileux was trapped lbw next ball, leaving the university side 204-8 at the tea break.

Sam Grant joined MacVicar at the crease now, and the latter went to his half-century following the tea break, bringing it up in an over of David Griffiths that cost 18 runs, including two pulls over square leg for six from the 22-year-old.

The pair would go on to make the highest partnership of the innings – 62 – before MacVicar (79) was eventually bowled by Griffiths in the first over with the new ball. Toby Lester (2) was the last man in, and also the last man out, as Claydon picked up his fourth wicket to close the university side’s innings on 271.

Rob Key and Sam Northeast came out to begin the Kent reply with around 40 minutes left in the day. The innings didn’t get off to the start Kent would have wanted, as captain Key was bowled by Gavin Baker for a third ball duck in the second over.

Daniel Bell-Drummond joined Northeast at the crease, and the two were able to see Kent through to the close, although some impressive bowling from the Loughborough attack ensured that their task was not an easy one.

Kent will be hoping to see their batsmen making the most of the opportunity to get some time in the middle on the third and final day of the game on Wednesday. Their opening LV= County Championship fixture sees them travelling to Worcestershire for the game starting on Sunday.

 

Stumps, day two: Kent vs. Loughborough MCCU, University match, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, 7-9 April 2014:

Loughborough MCCU 271 (MacVicar 79, Endersby 53; Claydon 4-50, Ball 2-29) lead Kent 33-1 by 238 runs.

 

Kent: Key*, Northeast, Bell-Drummond, Nash, Harmison, Stevens, Billings†, Ball, Claydon, Joseph, Griffiths.

Loughborough MCCU: Patel, Best, Sterland, Endersby, MacVicar, Baker, Burgess†, Riley*, Soileux, Grant, Lester.

Kent won the toss and elected to bowl.

 

Top picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com.