Glamorgan v Kent: Late wickets put Kent on top as 14 fall on day 1
Wednesday 9th September 2015
Late wickets for Kent put the visitors on top after 14 wickets fell on day one of the LV= County Championship match against Glamorgan at Cardiff.
Half-centuries for Rob Key (pictured above), Sean Dickson, Sam Northeast and Darren Stevens helped Kent to three batting bonus points before four batsmen departed for ducks as Kent posted 309.
Kent elected to bat and were given a rousing start by Key and Dickson, who put on 122 for the second wicket, after Michael Hogan had dismissed Daniel Bell-Drummond with the eighth ball of the morning.
Dickson, making his second LV= County Championship appearance for the club after an impressive second XI season, scored 56 with an array of attacking strokes before being dismissed in the final over before lunch.
Key, who made a career best 270 not out at the ground in 2009 was in sight of a second century in successive games, but was out for 94 when he edged David Lloyd to the wicketkeeper.
Key and Northeast strengthened Kent’s position with a stand of 85 for the third wicket, before Northeast, who had previously been dropped twice in an over, edged Hogan to Mark Wallace.
After reaching 212 for 2, Kent were in a commanding position, but they then lost their last 8 wickets for ninety seven runs. Most of those runs were scored by Darren Stevens who struck a six and 10 fours in a belligerent innings of 64 scored from 61 balls.
He received no support from the tailenders, as four of the last five batsmen failed to score, with Hogan starting the Kent collapse after tea, when he took a wicket in his first three overs, and a spell of 3 for 5 in 14 balls.
Kent were all out for 309 after a good start but their bowlers soon made inroads by dismissing the Glamorgan openers in the first two overs.
With Jacques Rudolph in South Africa on paternity leave and Will Bragg dropped, Glamorgan opened the innings with James Kettleborough, who has not played championship cricket since May, and Jeremy Lawlor who was making his championship debut.
Matt Coles squared up Kettleborough with his fourth ball, then Lawlor whose father played a game for the club in 1981, was bowled by Matthew Hunn playing down the wrong line.
When Colin Ingram and David Lloyd were both dismissed in the closing overs, Glamorgan slumped to 65 for 4 at stumps, with Kent satisfied with their day’s work.