Kent v Northants Day One Report
Wednesday 16th May 2012
Rob Newton suffered a fractured bone just above his left wrist as Northamptonshire were made to fight hard to reach 244 for four on day one of their LV= County Championship Division Two match against Kent at Canterbury.
David Sales and James Middlebrook added an unbroken 157 for the fifth wicket to boost Northants after they had slipped from 69 for one to 87 for four in the first hour after lunch, with Sales reaching a superb 104 not out by the close. Middlebrook is still there too on a battling 57, and in the end Kent’s bowling attack was made to toil on a slow surface.
But the injury to Newton overshadowed the day for Northants, who now fear the 22-year-old batsman will also miss the start of the Friends Life t20 in early June. The fracture is expected to sideline him for between four and five weeks and, of course, he will play no further part in this game.
Newton retired hurt on 23, after initially facing two more balls from Matt Coles following the blow from a rising delivery from the England Lions fast bowler. He had needed five minutes of treatment on the field from the physio before deciding to bat on, but when he clipped the second ball after the resumption wide of mid on for two runs he signalled to the dressing room that the pain in his arm was too great to continue.
Northants were 46 without loss when Newton went off, having won the toss and decided to take use of a slow but good-looking St Lawrence Ground pitch.
Stephen Peters also batted well in that opening stand, but had lost Newton’s replacement at the crease, Kyle Coetzer, before lunch.
Coetzer was bowled by Mark Davies, aiming to drive the former Durham seamer, and when Peters fell to the second ball after the lunch interval, lbw for 34 to a nip-backer from Darren Stevens, it triggered a mini-collapse which left Kent well on top.
Charlie Shreck did the further damage, having Northants skipper Andrew Hall well held at long leg by Davies as he skied an attempted pull and then bowling left-hander Niall O’Brien through the gate as he pushed defensively at a superb ball that swung back into him and clipped the top of the stumps.
But that was the last Kent success of the day as Sales, with his first Championship century for almost two years, and Middlebrook built their fine partnership. Former Northants captain Sales reached his hundred from 196 balls, with 11 fours, and at stumps he had batted for almost four and a half hours.
Middlebrook completed his fifty from 158 balls, with just three fours, but he proved to be the perfect foil for Sales, who played some lovely early strokes against James Tredwell’s off spin and then took successive legside boundaries off Shreck, armed with the second new ball, to go swiftly into the 90s.
** Parking update for 17/05/12 – Simon Langton Girls' School Car Park will be closed on Thursday 17th May, and possibly for the duration of this match due torecent rain. Please make your way to the Nackington Road entrance to the St Lawrence Ground on Thursday if you would like to park on site. As many cars as possible will be parked on site, with the New Dover Road Park and Ride an alternative option. **