Matt Coles’ excellent early season form continued as he picked up four wickets on an even first day at Canterbury.
Visiting Yorkshire were all out for 247 shortly before the close, and Kent were able to survive one over before the end of the day to see themselves through safely to tomorrow.
There was one change to the Kent side which came away with a draw from their match against Gloucestershire last week – skipper Rob Key missing out after picking up an ankle injury, Sam Northeast stepping in after a number of impressive 2nd XI performances, and Geraint Jones taking over captaincy responsibilities.
After a very careful start from the visiting batsmen – they reached just 23-0 from the first 18 overs – Coles picked up the first wicket of the day, bowling Joe Sayers from round the wicket after the opener had shouldered arms.
Sayers returned to the pavilion with 12 to his name, and his opening partner Joe Root followed him before too long, lbw to Darren Stevens for 21 from 77 deliveries leaving the visitors at 41-2. Root found himself caught back on his crease, as Stevens troubled the batsmen with swing and drift in blustery conditions.
This brought Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale to the crease joining Phil Jaques, and the pair saw out the rest of the session, taking their team to lunch at 52-2.
Mark Davies was brought back into the attack after lunch and made the breakthrough in the afternoon session, captain Gale caught behind by Geraint Jones for 22, leaving his side 70-3.
England batsman Jonny Bairstow, who scored a century in the opening game of the season between these sides, was next man in, and he played a number of good, attacking shots including a lovely straight drive down the ground for 4 which brought up Yorkshire’s hundred.
Bairstow was then dropped on 16 by James Tredwell, but Kent had a wicket to cheer in the next over, as Stevens was brought back into the attack and removed Jaques with his second ball, plumb lbw after the delivery drifted onto the Australian’s pads.
Bairstow was still scoring freely at the other end however. He hit Matt Coles for three straight boundaries – two pull strokes and a cut – before being out next ball. As he looked to drive, Sam Northeast dived forward and pouched a well-taken catch at short extra cover, Bairstow departing for 33 from 55 balls leaving the score at 120-5.
His fellow England international Tim Bresnan now made his way to the crease, joining Zimbabwean Gary Ballance; this causing a nightmare for the scorers – both men adorned with the number 19 shirt! Using their different handedness to tell them apart, the crowd watched on as the pair continued to put runs on the board, and they reached tea with the score at 158-5, after a session which had seen three wickets fall for 102 runs.
The pair put on 50 for the sixth wicket, but eventually James Tredwell got the breakthrough, Bresnan trapped lbw for an aggressive 33.
Adil Rashid was the next batsman, and he and Ballance were also able to add 50 together. Charlie Shreck removed them both in quick succession with the new ball, however, Ballance bowled by one which seemed to keep a little low for top-scoring 38, and Rashid departing in the tall seamer’s next over, edging behind to Jones for 27, leaving Yorkshire on 226-8.
Ajmal Shahzad was the next man to go, caught at deep-square leg by Brendan Nash, giving Coles his third wicket. Nash had been placed out in the deep for that ball, and Shahzad picked him out perfectly with a flick off his pads.
The last pair of Ryan Sidebottom and Steven Patterson came together with the score at 228-9, and were almost able to reach 250 to give Yorkshire a second batting point, but Coles stepped in to bowl Sidebottom for 17 and leave the visitors all out for 247, three short.
After many of the Yorkshire batsmen had got themselves in, they will be disappointed that no-one went on to make a real, game-changing score.
Kent would have a solitary over to see out before the close of play, a tense few minutes as Scott Newman and Sam Northeast came out to face England bowler Tim Bresnan.
Despite a couple of nervy edges from Newman, the pair were able to see the day through unscathed, and will resume in the morning, weather allowing, on 4-0.
Conditions could be tough for batsmen tomorrow however, with swing and seam possible. There is also the fact that the visitors have one of the strongest bowling attacks in the country – Tim Bresnan, Ryan Sidebottom, Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid are all international bowlers.
Speaking to KSN at the close of play, man-of-the-moment Coles said: “It’s good to get another four wickets today – I didn’t bowl as well as I would have liked to but you can’t bowl well every time –towards the end it started coming out a bit better. There’s always improvements [to make], and that’s the main thing at the end of the day.
“Hopefully if we can get through the new ball tomorrow with the two openers there should be runs in it for everybody.”
Kent side: Newman, Northeast, Harmison, Nash, Powell, Stevens, Jones, Tredwell, Coles, Davies, Shreck.
Yorkshire side: Root, Sayers, Jaques, Gale, Bairstow, Ballance, Bresnan, Rashid, Shahzad, Sidebottom, Patterson.
Close of play on Day 1: Kent 4-0 in reply to Yorkshire 247 all out (Ballance 38, Bresnan 33, Coles 4-70, Stevens 2-39)