County Championship: Kent dominate rain-affected first day against Northants
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Grant Stewart (second left) took 11 Championship wickets for Kent in 2022 but picked up three on the opening day of the 2023 campaign
LV= County Championship Division One, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury (day one): |
Northamptonshire 89-7: Vasconcelos 39; Stewart 3-6 |
Kent: Yet to bat |
Kent 3pts, Northants 0pts |
Kent reduced Northamptonshire to 89-7 on a rain-affected first day of their County Championship Division One opener at Canterbury.
Grant Stewart took 3-6 and Michael Hogan 2-36 as the Spitfires exploited damp and dark conditions to leave the visitors deep in the mire at the end of a truncated evening session.
Ricardo Vasconcelos was Northamptonshire's top scorer with 39, but he fell in the only over bowled after tea before play was abandoned because of bad light.
Heavy overnight rain at the St Lawrence Ground wiped out the morning session, but the home side were clearly the happier after winning the toss and rattling through Northamptonshire's top order during the 26 overs that were possible.
When play finally got underway at 14:15 BST the visitors initially scored rapidly.
Vasconcelos drove the first ball of the day, from Matt Quinn, for four and they cantered to 26 without loss, until Hogan trapped Hassan Azad lbw for seven in the sixth over.
In the next over Quinn sent Sam Whiteman's middle stump flying for just a single and both first-change bowlers then took wickets with their first deliveries.
Joey Evison struck with the first ball of the 12th over, getting Luke Procter caught by Ben Compton at square leg for eight and Stewart then had Rob Keogh caught behind for three at the start of the 16th.
Stewart subsequently took a superb return catch to dismiss Josh Cobb for seven, clinging on to a violent drive at ankle height, before he had Lewis McManus caught behind for five.
Tea was originally scheduled for 16:10 but, with light deteriorating, the session was curtailed three minutes early.
Vasconcelos fell lbw to Hogan to the fourth ball after an extended interval, leaving James Sales and Gareth Berg in the middle on five and three respectively when play was abandoned for the day.
Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.