Glamorgan v Kent Day 1 – Report

Will Owen and Dean Cosker took three wickets apiece as Glamorgan bowled Kent out for 242 on an abbreviated first day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash at the SWALEC Stadium.

After being put in to bat, Kent, who have lost their last three championship matches, were dismissed in 66.1 overs despite half-centuries from Martin van Jaarsveld and Darren Stevens. Glamorgan were set to start their reply when rain caused an early abandonment.

Glamorgan, who have not beaten Kent in championship cricket at Cardiff in 44 years, made inroads as early as the third over when James Harris trapped skipper Rob Key lbw for four.

Kent lost Geraint Jones in the next overwhen wicketkeeper Mark Wallace took a sharp catch diving to his right after Graham Wagg located the outside edge.

Harris worked Sam Northeast over with some impressive swing bowling, going past the outside edge on numerous occasions before the opener was bowled to leave Kent wobbling on 32 for three.

Van Jaarsveld led a Kent counter-attack in a fourth-wicket stand of 78 in 16 overs with Alex Blake.

He brought up his fifty in 61 balls with seven fours before Owen, making his first championship appearance of the season, struck twice in consecutive overs before lunch to have Blake and Matt Coles caught behind.

Worse was to follow for Kent when, in the fourth over after lunch, van Jaarsveld played on attempting to cut Wagg. He had made 57 off 82 balls.

James Tredwell and Stevens shared a seventh-wicket stand of 35 before Tredwell edged slow left-armer Cosker to Jim Allenby at slip.

Stevens and James Goodman secured a batting point for Kent as they took advantage of some wayward bowling by the Glamorgan seamers, while Allenby dropped Stevens on 45at first slip off Wagg.

Glamorgan were indebted to Cosker, who finally broke a 71-run stand for the eighth wicket by bowling Goodman for 30.

Stevens brought up his half-century off 64 deliveries with six fours, but Kent lost their last two wickets in just 13 balls after tea, Neil Saker taken at bat-pad off Cosker before Owen bowled Stevens for 66.

Report from ecb.co.uk

Photo by Sarah Ansell – SarahCanterbury.com