Kent collapse in Bristol

Kent lost six final-session wickets as they collapsed spectacularly on day one of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at the County Ground.

Having dismissed their hosts for 252, Kent failed woefully with the bat to slump to 33 for six at the close, still 219 runs behind.

Not a single visiting batsman managed double figures, with the top four combined making just one. At one point Kent were two for four.

Will Gidman took two for one and James Fuller three for 23 as the Gloucestershire bowlers cashed in.

Earlier Gareth Roderick had top-scored with 59 for the hosts, a score Kent's batsmen could only dream of.

Rob Key was the first man to go with the third ball of the innings, caught behind by Roderick off Fuller for a duck.

Daniel Bell-Drummond (nought), Sam Northeast (one) and Brendan Nash (nought) followed in successive overs, Bell-Drummond and Nash Gidman's victims, Northeast Fuller's, as a bad start became a horrendous one.

Ben Harmison and Darren Stevens piled on the runs by comparison, with both out for eight.

Sam Billings was unbeaten on eight and Adam Riley yet to get off the mark at stumps.

Kent had started the day in positive mood after they too made early breakthroughs with the ball, Mitchell Claydon with two wickets as they reduced Gloucestershire to 23 for three.

But a fifth-wicket partnership of 75 between Hamish Marshall, who made 44, and Roderick, helped the hosts recover, taking the score from 64 to 139.

Marshall was bowled by Riley and Roderick caught by Stevens off Doug Bollinger, but useful contributions from lower down the order took the score past the 250 mark.

Gidman made 31 and number nine Tom Smith 30 before becoming Riley's third wicket of the innings.