Kent dismissed Worcestershire for 224 on the opening day of their 2014 LV= County Championship campaign at New Road.
Having lost the toss and been asked to field, Kent would have been pleased to have dismissed the home side midway through the final session of the opening day. It was an all-round good steady performance from the Kent bowlers, with Robbie Joseph picking up three wickets, debutant Doug Bollinger getting two, as did Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon, and James Tredwell getting one.
Kent will feel they had the better of the opening day, but will be disappointed to resume their innings tomorrow with both of their openers already back in the pavilion, after Rob Key and Sam Northeast both fell before the close.
Doug Bollinger got the initial breakthrough for Kent in the morning with his first wicket for the club, as he trapped Matt Pardoe for a 15-ball duck in the seventh over.
His dismissal brought Moeen Ali to the crease, and the England batsman took the attack to the Kent bowler, playing a range of attractive, aggressive shots. Ali and his captain Daryl Mitchell had moved the score onto 59-1 when Darren Stevens intervened, taking two wickets in three balls.
The 37-year-old first bowled Ali for 41 from just 37 balls; ending an innings that had included nine boundaries, including a six off the bowling of his international teammate James Tredwell. Young batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s stay at the crease would last just two balls, as he was out lbw, padding up to give the all-rounder his second wicket in the over.
Alexei Kervezee joined his skipper Mitchell in the middle, and the pair saw their team through to the lunch break, before putting together the biggest partnership of their side’s innings. Kervezee was the only Worcestershire batsman to pass fifty, as he made 54 in a partnership of 92, before clipping Robbie Joseph to James Tredwell at mid-wicket.
The wicket of Kervezee was the first of four to fall in a short burst which saw the home side slip from 151-3 to 170-7, as Joseph in particular got amongst the Worcestershire middle order.
Having removed Kervezee, he had Mitchell caught behind by Billings for 47, and bowled Ben Cox for a duck. Bollinger then removed Ross Whiteley for 12, as Gareth Andrew and Shaaiq Choudhry saw their side through to tea on 186-7.
Mitch Claydon returned to the attack in the final session, picking up two wickets. He had both Choudhry and Andrew caught behind by Billings; each having made 15. Tredwell got a wicket for himself as Charlie Morris was also pouched by the wicket-keeper – his fifth catch of the innings, as Worcestershire were bowled out for 224.
Robbie Joseph was the pick of the bowlers for Kent, taking 3-43 from his 17 overs; his spell including eight maidens.
Openers Sam Northeast and Rob Key made their way to the crease, with Kent facing 17 overs before the close, and the visitors lost both openers before the day’s end.
Key was trapped lbw by Jack Shantry for 11, before his vice-captain Northeast (18) was out lbw to just the second ball of spinner Shaaiq Choudhry.
Daniel Bell-Drummond and Brendan Nash then saw the side through to the end of the day with the score on 39-2, leaving Kent trailing by 185 runs.
They will hope their batsman can help them into a strong position on the second day, as they look to get their Championship season off to the best possible start.
Stumps, day one: Worcestershire vs. Kent, LV= County Championship Division Two, New Road, Worcester, 13-16 April 2014:
Kent 39-2 (Northeast 18, Key 11) trail Worcestershire 224 (Kervezee 54, Joseph 3-43) by 185 runs with eight first-innings wickets in hand.
Worcestershire: Mitchell*, Pardoe, Ali, Kohler-Cadmore, Kervezee, Whiteley, Cox†, Andrew, Choudhry, Shantry, Morris.
Kent: Northeast, Key*, Bell-Drummond, Nash, Harmison, Stevens, Billings†, Tredwell, Claydon, Bollinger, Joseph.
Worcestershire won the toss and elected to bat.
Bonus points: Worcestershire 1, Kent 3
Full scorecard available here.