County Championship: Kent on top against Somerset despite Goldsworthy resistance

Lewis Goldsworthy is seven runs short of his second Championship hundred of 2022

Nathan Gilchrist boosted Kent's survival hopes with 5-55 to leave Somerset 195-9 at stumps on day one of their County Championship clash at Canterbury.

Lewis Goldsworthy was unbeaten on 93, after almost single-handedly helping the visitors recover from 9-3.

Craig Overton was the next highest scorer with 30 and his stand of 65 with Goldsworthy for the sixth wicket looked to have steered Somerset out of danger, until Gilchrist produced a spell of three for nought in nine balls.

Gilchrist was on a hat-trick when bad light and rain stopped play at 17:07, while Matt Quinn has 3-32.

• Relive the first day's Championship action as it happened

Kent began the match knowing they needed 10 points to avoid relegation to Division Two.

Heavy overnight rain delayed the start at the Spitfire Ground, but play eventually began at noon, with Somerset opting to bat despite heavy cloud cover.

Kent immediately made inroads, Quinn getting Tom Lammonby caught for a duck by Jack Leaning at second slip with the fourth ball of the match.

Gilchrist then removed Tom Abell for five, caught by the same fielder and when Andrew Umeed was lbw to Quinn for four Kent had taken just 28 minutes to secure a first bonus point.

It might have been worse for the visitors, but Goldsworthy was put down by Ollie Robinson off Gilchrist and they recovered to 43-3 at lunch.

There was a painful start to the afternoon session, in more than one sense, for George Bartlett as Gilchrist's second ball hit him and after staggering back to the crease he was caught behind off the next.

Conor McKerr was initially denied the wicket of James Rew when he was dropped by Zak Crawley at first slip, but he edged the very next delivery to Daniel Bell-Drummond at third slip and was out for 16.

Ben Green had made 12 when Quinn clipped the top of his middle stump, but an elegant cover drive off Gilchrist took Goldsworthy to his half-century and when Crawley then dropped Overton off Gilchrist, Kent were punished, as the visitors responded with their biggest stand of the innings.

Overton was on 27 when Robinson missed a difficult, one-handed chance off Gilchrist, but he was out in Gilchrist's next over, his off stump sent flying for 30.

Gilchrist then had Kasey Aldridge caught by Robinson for a duck and with his next delivery he pinned Sajid Khan lbw, securing Kent a third bowling bonus point.

With the light deteriorating, Jack Brooks came in to face the hat-trick ball while the umpires were conferring.

The game was halted before Brooks could take guard and when heavy rain then began to fall play was abandoned, forcing Gilchrist to have to sleep on what would be his first hat-trick.

Kent pace bowler Nathan Gilchrist:

"The wicket helped us a little bit early on and then especially when there was cloud cover and the lights came on and it carried on moving around. It was a good day to be a bowler.

"It was moving around quite a bit early doors. We knew there was a bit of moisture around, but the wicket looked pretty good, so we didn't quite know how it was going to play. Luckily it played into our hands.

"We've had a good few weeks coming off the Royal London win and then last week beating Hampshire, so we're trying to use that momentum and bring it into this week."

Somerset's Lewis Goldsworthy:

"There have been good pitches here, but in the first 10 to 15 overs it did more than expected and they got it right. There were a few maybe softish dismissals, but nothing to be frowned on.

"The wicket did get better towards the end but there's still balls out there that can get you out. We're probably a few short but it's not all doom and gloom.

"I thought I'd try and be as proactive as I could be and that probably got me a few more boundary options off bad balls."

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.