Bell-Drummond century helps Kent fight back at Leicester
Opener Daniel Bell-Drummond scored a fluent century as Kent battled back to reach 227 for seven on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Leicester.
Kent skipper Sam Northeast refused the chance to field first and elected to bat after winning the toss on a good-looking batting pitch in bright sunshine at the renamed Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.
The visitors suffered an early setback when Sean Dickson was out for handling the ball, the second such dismissal of a Kent player in first class cricket.
Joe Denly, Sam Northeast and Darren Stevens quickly followed as the Leicestershire seamers asserted themselves using lateral movement to remove three of Kent's top batsmen.
Denly and Northeast were bowled by Wayne White and Charlie Shreck respectively before Stevens drove White to Foxes skipper Mark Cosgrove.
Bell-Drummond led the recovery in the second session by reaching three figures for the second successive innings after 206 not out against Loughborough MCCU earlier this month.
The Kent Cricket Academy graduate’s fluent century was ably supported by Alex Blake’s 26 and 38 from wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rouse on his Championship debut for Kent before Clint McKay struck twice.
Blake was adjudged to have edged McKay behind to ex-Kent ‘keeper Niall O’Brien to end a 57-run before a century stand was broken as Rouse nicked the Australian to Angus Robson at second slip.
Umpires abandoned play for the day due to bad light with Calum Haggett and Matt Coles at the crease.
Opener Daniel Bell-Drummond said: “It was a good pitch and I was able to continue my form from the University game.
“It was one of my more fluent knocks and I had to be watchful in the first session but we were able to keep the scoreboard ticking in the afternoon.
“We were three down pretty early as Joe and the skipper got good balls and Sean suffered a freak dismissal.
“Calum and Matt can both bat so hopefully we can kick on and get a few more runs on the board to defend with the ball.”
Kent play their first Specsavers County Championship match at home against Glamorgan next Sunday (1 May) at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
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Photo: Ed Melia