Daniel Bell-Drummond carried his bat for Kent on day one at Trent Bridge for this unique round of the County Championship under lights, but it is the hosts and Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire who find themselves in pole position.

Steven Mullaney (3/2, one catch & 63*) was the man of the day for the hosts with wickets and runs to his name.

Kent made two changes from their previous outing at Worcestershire with Sam Billings in for Joe Weatherley and New Zealander Adam Milne making his debut in place of Yasir Shah – Billings only available for half this match (days one and two) where he then leaves to join up with the England Lions squad.

Sam Northeast won the toss on a green looking wicket and elected for his side to bat first, offering the pink ball to the hands of the Nottinghamshire bowlers, but it was the home side who benefitted creating nothing short of carnage to the Kent scorecard in the opening session in fact the opening few minutes of play.

Kent’s nemesis and chief destroyer early on with the pink ball was James Pattinson with an inspired opening spell, taking three wickets for a single run, whilst at the tail of the innings Mullaney took three wickets for two runs, including two in two balls.

Sean Dickson (0) was the first to go stuck in his crease and out to a full-length ball (6/1) and despite his heroics at Worcestershire the week before Joe Denly (0) followed Dickson back to the pavilion two balls later and in similar fashion (6/2).

Seeing out the rest of Pattinson’s over was achieved however upon returning he snaffled the Kent captain as Northeast (0) edged to Mullaney in the slip cordon with Kent disastrously 6/3.

New man Sam Billings and opener Bell-Drummond looked to restore parity and stabilise the Kent innings and although Billings, without much regular cricket certainly in the longer form of the game, could have been rusty he played well and positively although riding his luck on 17* edging to Mullaney at second slip but whereas he took a catch earlier in the session this one fell just short (31/3).

The duo took the scorecard to fifty as Billings outscored his team-mate (Bell-Drummond 17*, Billings 30*) but just shy of their fifty partnership Billings’ innings came to an abrupt end (30) clean bowled by Luke Fletcher (52/4).

The evergreen Darren Stevens joined Bell-Drummond but sadly for Kent the visitors’ talisman lost his wicket (10) chasing a wide delivery outside the off-stump, caught behind by wicket-keeper Chris Read (70/5, Bell-Drummond 25*).

Despite winning the toss the visitors had a tough morning/first session as Bell-Drummond continued to plug away ably supported by Will Gidman, formerly of and signed by Kent from Nottinghamshire after a loan spell last season.

As had been seen earlier in the session it wasn’t plain sailing though as Gidman rode his luck, dropped by Mullaney in a slip-field mix-up with Taylor (2*, 84/5, Bell-Drummond 33*) followed by Read putting the ball to ground (6*, 93/5).

Kent reached the first break 101/5 (Bell-Drummond 49*, Gidman 7*) and around the grounds the teams batting first were certainly suffering with the loss of many wickets across the country. Despite the early and disappointing start the scoreline was perhaps a good one upon reflection of where they were at early on at 6/3.

Bell-Drummond was rewarded for his grit and determination early into the second session as in the opening over he pushed for a safe single to register his half century (99b, 8×4) and the pair contributed a world of good sharing a half-century partnership soon after (120/5, Bell-Drummond 55*, Gidman, 20*) – Bell-Drummond contributing 30 (52b), Gidman 20 (41b).

Gidman’s fine effort came to an end as Harry Gurney running in from the pavilion beat the Kent man (25) with an excellent yorker, ripping out the middle stump (125/6, Bell-Drummond 55*).

After a manic early start Adam Rouse came in to support Bell-Drummond and both did a sterling job of ensuring the scorecard ticked over and in doing so averting danger. The Kent pair restored some pride and began to give the visitors hope as they passed one-fifty (151/6, Bell-Drummond 64*, Rouse 17*).

Rouse’s well-administered effort came to an end (22) as the home side mixed up the bowling bringing on Mullaney and with the change of bowling the hosts had a change in fortune as the Kent wicket-keeper edged to Wessels at first slip (163/7, Bell-Drummond 71*) with the same pairing also capturing Matt Coles (4; 173/8).

Kent debutant Adam Milne arrived at the crease however his stay was short-lived clean-bowled first ball by Mullaney (173/9) and despite Mitch Claydon surviving the hat-trick ball the end was perhaps inevitable and although Bell-Drummond looked to keep the strike Claydon (0) succumbed to Jake Ball, also clean-bowled.

The Kent inning ended shy of any batting points 180ao, with Kent’s Bell-Drummond finding form in the County Championship and with it the rarity to carry his bat and ending the innings 84*.

With the lights on Messers Coles and Stevens took the pink ball as this day/night match entered the ‘night’ phase for the first time however the early phase didn’t have the same devastating impact as faced by the visitors, the ball with nothing like the lateral movement seen earlier in the day.

New Zealand pace-man Milne was first change for Matt Coles and showed his experience resulting in his international status giving little away to the Notts’ openers and with the pressure in stemming the run-rate and the ever-consistent Stevens chipping away it was Stevens who took the wicket to open his and the visitors account as Libby (16) edged to Dickson in the slips (36/1).

With the opening breakthrough a second soon followed and Milne took his first Kent wicket. A snorter of a delivery, fast and rising on Brendan Taylor (6) and in taking a degree of evasive action was caught behind by Rouse (45/2).

Only two balls later and Milne almost had a second and the prize wicket of in-form Samit Patel (0), fresh from back-to-back double-centuries, as the Notts man edged to Denly in the gully but, diving to his right, was unable to keep a firm grip (45/2).

Patel’s stay was nonetheless short-lived without the need to rue the chance to Denly as Coles got one to nip back, Patel (4) bowled (52/3).

Notts’ pair Mullaney (46*) and Hales (26*) saw it through to the scheduled close of play time of 9pm but with ten over’s still to bowl the hosts had the chance to make plenty of inroads into the Kent first innings total (105/3) and with a boundary through the off-side off the bowling of Stevens, Mullaney brought about his half century (91b, 8×4).

The pair saw out the day with little alarm or cause for concern and with the weather forecast suggesting a dry start for day two with rain later in the day and with day three looking particularly hampered by the elements the weather looks the most likely winner of this match.

Kent: 180 (Bell-Drummond 84*; Mullaney 3/2, Pattinson 3/30)

Nottinghamshire: 135/3 (Mullaney 63*)