Kent will be hoping they haven’t wasted a great opportunity as Lancashire closed day one on 260/7 in the Spitfires’ latest County Championship game.
Kent pegged their visitors back early on, restricting them to 85/4, but partnerships that followed allowed Lancashire back into the game and helped them into a decent position at the close of play.
Home captain Daniel Bell-Drummond won the toss for the first time this season and opted to bowl in Canterbury. The hosts’ new new ball duo Matt Milnes and Darren Stevens got proceedings underway, with Stevens beating the bat on more than one occasion in his first over – a maiden.
Davies didn’t look comfortable at all, and he was dismissed by Milnes for just one at the start of the fifth over. Milnes, getting one to come back into the batsman, forced an inside edge from the opener, which Spitfires wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson gratefully accepted to leave the visitors 5/1 early doors.
Stevens had a couple of LBW appeals – both pitching outside leg – turned down as Kent continued to dominate. The first boundary off the bat didn’t arrive until the eighth over, with Jennings driving Stevens nicely down the ground.
Wells got off the mark 21st ball with a flick off his leg for four, and Lancashire made it to the hour mark relatively unscathed, but without damaging the scoreboard.
Jennings was gone soon after that however, mostly in thanks to Jack Leaning at third slip. Darren Stevens earnt reward for his hard work in the morning, forcing Jennings to drive at a wide one, but Leaning took an excellent grab in the cordon, diving to his left to send the former England opener packing for 16.
Lancashire’s 50 was up just before lunch, halfway through the 25th over of the day. The duo saw play through to the interval, and two fours from Wells off Cummins’ first over after lunch showed intent.
The 50 partnership was soon up between Wells and Bohannon, with Kent’s bowlers toiling as Cummins squared up Wells, but to no avail as a tick edge trickled to third man for four.
Cummins changed his angle, going over the wicket to the left-hander Wells, and the decision paid off when he had his man caught behind for 45. Trying to pull away late, the Lancashire number three got a feather through to Robinson. The umpire was unsure, but the finger was raised when Wells walked.
Darren Stevens backed up his partner when he had new man Steven Croft LBW for just two. Croft, walking across his stumps, was wrapped on the pads by Stevens to leave Lancashire 85/4 and in a spot of bother.
Bohannon mis-timed a Cummins short ball soon after, the ball going straight up but seemingly falling short of the on-rushing fielder.
Lancashire started to take control, however. With part time spinner Joe Denly on and Dane Vilas taking a liking to him, a six down the ground split the 50 partnership and the 150 for Lancashire as the hosts began to grow frustrated.
50s followed for Bohannon and Vilas just before tea, and the duo went in with a partnership of 94 on the board. A brilliant recovery, and the visitors’ session.
The 100 partnership was brought up just after tea, but then Fred Klaassen struck. Putting his white ball skills to good use, a slower ball yorker slapped Vilas on the pads and he was on his way for 53. A breakthrough Kent so desperately needed.
New man Rob Jones almost lost his wicket on one when Stevens got a fingertip onto the stumps off a Bohannon straight drive. The umpire said no, which seemed to be the correct decision, but the Kent players were left shocked.
Jones was soon on his way, however. In a bizarre piece of batting, the number seven charged the second ball of Jack Leaning’s spell. The part time off spinner beat the bat and wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson did the rest, taking off the bails to remove Jones for two – his first first-class stumping – and bring Luke Wood to the middle.
A big appeal for a caught behind on Bohannon off Milnes was turned down just after the new ball was taken, and a leading edge from Wood landed just over mid-on’s head in the same over. Lancashire, however, saw off the second new ball, and the 50 partnership between Bohannon and Wood was soon up.
Bohannon was dismissed for 87 by the returning Cummins late in the day. The finger went up as the batsman was wrapped on the pads – close on impact, but a fair decision.
Lancashire’s 250 was up just before stumps, and Wood inside-edged Cummins past his own stumps in the penultimate over of the day, but he and Danny Lamb negotiated the rest of the day safely to leave the game finely poised going into day two.