Kent dismiss Essex on day one at Polo Farm
Kent dismissed Essex on day one of the three-day Second XI Championship match at Polo Farm, writes Liam Buttery.
The visitors chose to bat under gloomy skies, though two balls into the game they had lost the prized wicket of Nick Browne who averages in excess of fifty in this year’s Specsavers County Championship.
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He edged a Grant Stewart delivery through to Academy Scholar Jordan Cox before Kishan Vilani and Callum Taylor rebuilt with a 50 partnership in fifteen overs.
Vilani clipped the ball well off his hip, and drove exquisitely, and whilst he didn’t barrage the boundaries, he certainly challenged the lengths of Kent’s attack of Stewart, Ball and Haggett as he scored well off both the front and back foot.
Taylor was eventually dismissed LBW by Adam Riley, who went on to claim the wicket of Beard shortly after to leave Essex 78-3 before Vilani reached his fifty after twenty overs.
In a short spell before lunch, Academy Scholar Ollie Hills (0-11) bowled tidily to ensure the new man Fatouros – formerly of Kent 2nd XI – and Vilani couldn’t take the session away from Kent, as the visitors reached 115-3 at lunch.
After a period of consolidation, Fatouros fell to Stewart for 30, and the dismissals of Russell and Vilani followed soon after. On 95 Vilani edged behind Calum Haggett (2-69) to become Jordan Cox’s third victim of the innings, and when Adam Ball had Nijjar play on to his stumps just ten runs later, Essex appeared to be in trouble at 174-7.
Stewart continued to pose problems for the visitors, and he picked up his third and fourth wickets caught by Academy Scholars Jan Gray and Jordan Cox. Young leg spinner Jan Gray was impressive in restricting the Essex tail, but the final wicket evaded Kent.
The Essex tail wagged: Stamatis (40) and Simon Cook (19) added 44 for the tenth wicket, as Essex crept up to a first innings total of 257 before Adam Riley (3/33) took the final wicket.
In reply, Kent lost the in-form Sean Dickson to Cook, leaving the hosts 12-1, though Kai Appleby (27) and opener Zak Crawley rebuilt, as Kent concluded the day trailing by close to 150. Crawley (25*) and Joe Weatherley (2*) will be looking to build upon their foundations tomorrow.