KENT v GLAMORGAN

Kent are 70-2 from 22 overs at the end of a weather-shortened opening day in their LV=Insurance County Championship match against Glamorgan at a murky and blustery Canterbury.

Evening Report

In theory, there was plenty to celebrate today with 950 Kent members being allowed to attend the St. Lawrence ground for the opening day of this contest – their first visit for 603 days - whilst for Glamorgan, it was also the 100th anniversary of their first-ever victory in the County Championship, with 20 May 1921 having seen the Welsh county defeat Sussex at Cardiff Arms Park.

The morning weather in Canterbury however was far from being in celebratory mode as overnight rain in the Garden of England led to damp areas on part of the outfield and the run-ups, resulting in a delay to the start to play until 1630 leaving 32 overs in the day’s quota. Glamorgan named an unchanged side as they sought a rare home and away double over Kent, having already defeated the English county last month inside two action-packed days at Cardiff.

After winning the toss, Chris Cooke opted to bowl first under the leaden skies, with the two Michael’s – Messrs Hogan and Neser – sharing the new ball. Ollie Robinson struck the day’s opening boundaries as he punched Hogan through point before clipping Neser to square-leg. Jordan Cox also found the ropes as he got a thick-edge to a delivery from Neser through the slip cordon before Robinson square-cut Hogan followed by a sumptuous off-drive against Neser.

Drizzle started to fall as Kent’s opener’s continued to accumulate on one’s and two’s before another well-timed off-drive from Robinson against Neser saw Kent reach the 50-mark in the 13th over. He then greeted the introduction of Dan Douthwaite by clipping him to fine-leg and mid-wicket for further fours, but with the total on 60 he edged Timm van der Gugten to second slip where David Lloyd held a good low catch.

Two runs later, the same combination accounted for Zak Crawley as the England batsman prodded at a rising ball outside off stump. The Dutchman began his spell with four successive maidens before Cox punched Douthwaite through point for four, with the rain intensifying and forcing the players off the field after 22 overs.

A remarkable 190 by Darren Stevens, who struck 15 sixes during a 149-ball blitzkrieg and a record-breaking ninth wicket stand of 166 with Miguel Cummins, trumped the earlier efforts of Timm van der Gugten (4/34) and Michael Neser (4/67) as Kent made 307 against Glamorgan on the second afternoon of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at a windswept Canterbury. When bad light ended play after 19.4 overs, Glamorgan were 55-2 in reply.

Evening Update

With tea having been taken at the end of the Kent innings, there were 49 overs remaining today for Glamorgan’s batsmen to face with Darren Stevens, the hero of the hour, straight back into action as he shared the new ball with Matt Quinn. David Lloyd square-cut Quinn but, two overs later, he departed l.b.w. to the on-loan seamer as Marnus Labuschagne arrived in the middle with light rain starting to fall.

He opened his account in regal fashion by drilling Stevens for successive fours through extra-cover but the veteran had the last laugh as, after asking the wicket-keeper to stand up to the stumps, he removed the Australian, as in the previous contest at Cardiff, leg before for 11. Billy Root joined Cooke as Miguel Cummins entered the attack at the Nackington Road End in place of Stevens and was square-cut for a trio of fours by Root with the third being a deliberate dab high over the head of the slips before the recently capped batsman cover-drove the West Indian. The umpires took the players off the field after 16 overs as bad light stopped play and saw the loss of six overs before conditions improved and allowed a further 3.4 overs before the light deteriorated again and they departed for a second and final time.

Teatime Update

With his team having lost six wickets for 80 runs in 30 overs this morning, Darren Stevens was looking to continue his resistance as the half-century maker returned to the crease after lunch with Kent on 150-8. Timm van der Gugten resumed the bowling in tandem with Michael Neser with Stevens flicking Neser for six over square-leg before adding another maximum as he drilled the Dutchman back over his head as drizzle started to fall.

Stevens then survived a sharp chance at slip as he scythed again at van der Gugten before celebrating his good fortune by harpooning the Dutchman high over the mid-wicket boundary for six before chopping him through backward point for four. The visitors then switched to spin with Andrew Salter entering the attack but Stevens lofted him over long-on and mid-wicket for another pair of lusty sixes before steering Michael Hogan through backward point for four followed next ball by a rasping on-drive for another four to complete a remarkable 92-ball hundred.

The 45 year-old continued to turn the game on its head as he lofted Hogan for six to mid-wicket as Salter caught the ball but stepped over the ropes before driving the off-spinner over extra-cover, square-leg and long-on for further sixes during an over which saw the century stand come up in which Miguel Cummins contribution was a solitary single. David Lloyd replaced Salter and was dispatched to long-on by Stevens, before Marnus Labuschagne spilled a chance on the boundary’s edge to deprive Hogan of what looked like being his 399th wicket for the Welsh county.

Billy Root also erred at deep mid-wicket as another chance went abegging on the mid-wicket boundary with Stevens securing another six before drilling the next ball from Lloyd over long-off for another maximum. Later in the over he completed his 150 from 117 balls with a single to long-on before straight-driving Hogan for another six. Marnus Labuschagne then had a trundle and was swept for four and straight-driven by Stevens for six – his fifteenth maximum – before another lusty blow felled umpire Richard Illingworth at square-leg.

Fortunately, the umpire was OK as play continued with a straight-driven four by Stevens against Labuschagne taking the total to 290 as this remarkable stand became the highest-ever for the ninth wicket against Glamorgan in first-class cricket, surpassing the 161 added by Surrey’s Geoffrey Whittaker and Stuart Surridge at The Oval in 1951. Stevens added another four later in the over as he nurdled the Australian to third man.

But four runs later, Stevens’ whirlwind hitting came to an end as he was caught by Kiran Carlson at long-on off Labuschagne having struck 15 fours and 15 sixes, one short of Andrew Symonds’ record of 16 sixes for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan at Abergavenny in 1995. Matt Quinn then walloped his first ball for six to long-on to bring up the 300 before Cummins ended his restraint by swatting Douthwaite for four. However, next over Labuschagne ended the Kent innings as he bowled Cummins with the English side ending on 307.

Lunchtime Report

Only 22 overs were possible yesterday on the opening day of this contest as the weather continues to play havoc with the Championship schedule. Whilst April was one of the driest on record, the weather has been dismal during May with Glamorgan losing a fraction in excess of 30 hours of play from the total of 54 scheduled over the course of their last nine days in the competition.

The meteorological conditions were more favourable this morning and allowed a start on time at the Spitfire St. Lawrence with sunshine greeting the players as Timm van der Gugten resumed the bowling duties on a day when 104 overs are available in a bid to make up for lost time yesterday. Having bowled yesterday at the Nackington Road End, Michael Neser switched this morning to the Pavilion End and removed Jack Leaning with his tenth delivery of the morning as the former Yorkshire batsman departed l.b.w.

73-3 saw Sam Billings make his way to the middle for the first time this summer for Kent having returned from India after the suspension of the Indian Premier League and completing a stint in quarantine. He got off the mark with a well-timed cover drive against Neser before clipping a ball to fine-leg with the return throw to wicket-keeper Chris Cooke seeing the Glamorgan captain tumble backwards in catching the ball and cannoning into the stumps.

They were spreadeagled again next ball, albeit in more conventional manner, as Neser clean bowled Cox with a delivery which jagged back in to the opening batsman. Daniel Bell-Drummond, now occupying a middle-order berth compared with the match last month at Cardiff, duly joined Billings but his poor run of form continued as he also departed l.b.w to Neser. With Darren Stevens as his new partner, Billings dabbed van der Gugten to third man for four but was also adjudged leg before later in the over as Kent’s plight worsened to 84-6.

It almost became 84-7 but Marcus O’Riordan survived a chance at second slip as David Lloyd spilled a waist-high edge from another probing delivery from the frugal van der Gugten. Darren Stevens then cover-drove successive balls from Neser but van der Gugten’s accuracy was rewarded as O’Riordan was squared up by a delivery from the Dutchman and edged into Cooke’s gloves.

Michael Hogan then replaced Neser, as van der Gugten’s miserly spell continued before he was flayed to mid-wicket by Stevens as the seamer yielded only his second boundary in his fifteenth over before Neser returned to the attack and was twice cover-driven for four by Nathan Gilchrist. Stevens also top-edged a pull against Hogan as the ball flew high over the ropes for a wind-assisted six before the 45 year-old all-rounder flicked Hogan to fine-leg for a more orthodox four. But with the total on 128, Neser trapped Gilchrist leg before with Stevens responding by straight-driving Dan Douthwaite for four before pulling him for six, followed by a huge swipe to third man for another four. He duly completed his muscular fifty from 61 balls in the final over before lunch with another furious straight-drive against Douthwaite.

Glamorgan were 64-3 at the end of a truncated third day of their rain-ravaged LV=Insurance County Championship match against Kent at Canterbury during which just 6.2 overs were possible because of a wet outfield before bad light and further rain brought an early finish.

Close of Play Report

Joe Cooke and Billy Root resumed the Glamorgan innings when play began at 1720pm after seven inspections with their side still trailing Kent by 252 runs. Miguel Cummins completed the over from last night before Darren Stevens returned to the attack at the Pavilion End in tandem with Matt Quinn as the Canterbury floodlights also came on after two overs.

Following four successive maidens, Root scored the first run off the bat as he cover-drove Quinn but without further addition, Cooke was bowled as he inside-edged a defensive stroke against Quinn and lost his leg stump. With Kiran Carlson as his new partner, Root off drove Stevens for four through mid-off but at the end of the day, the umpires deemed that the light had deteriorated and the players left the field at 1745pm. Soon afterwards, rain started to fall and play was called off for the day with Glamorgan on 64-3.

Afternoon Update

Whilst much of the UK was battered yesterday by heavy rain and wind, Canterbury escaped the worst of the bad weather, but there was still a whirlwind at the St. Lawrence ground as Darren Stevens struck a remarkable 190 off 149 balls with 15 sixes and as many fours in a record-breaking stand of 166 in 27.1 overs with Miguel Cummins which wrested the initiative away from Glamorgan’s grasp.

After being dismissed by Marnus Labuschagne, the 45 year all-rounder was swiftly back into action with the ball and had an l.b.w. appeal upheld against the Australian before drizzle and bad light brought an early end to a remarkable day’s play. However, rain earlier this morning has led to a delay in the start to this morning’s proceedings with the umpires – Richard Illingworth and James Middlebrook – making an initial inspection at 1015am at which they decided to have a further look at 1130am.

However, the outfield was still very damp and they decided that lunch would be taken at 1.10pm with another inspection planned for 14.00pm. However, shortly before the umpires were due in the middle, light rain started to fall. After further inspections at 15.00pm and 16.00pm, the umpires agreed to look again at 16.45pm. It was then decided that play would commence at 17.20pm with 19.2 overs remaining.

Despite the best intentions of both captains, rain was the only winner at Canterbury on the final day of Glamorgan's LV=Insurance County Championship match against Kent, with the Welsh county on 23-1 from 7 overs having been set a target of 304 in a minimum of 84 overs when a lunchtime storm saw the game end in a soggy draw.

Afternoon update

The lunchtime rain prevented a prompt resumption at 1315pm with the outfield again being in a damp condition. The umpires made a further inspection at 14.00pm at which play was called off as the contest ended in a draw

Morning Update

Only 6.2 overs were possible yesterday because of a wet outfield and bad light, but the overhead conditions were markedly improved this morning allowing play to start on time with the prospect of a decent slice of action and many of the 96 overs remaining in the contest, unlike in some of the other rain-ravaged games elsewhere, especially the contest at Northampton involving group leaders Lancashire. In a bid to force a positive outcome, Glamorgan declared on their overnight total, 243 runs in arrears with Kent not enforcing the follow-on and instead setting up a run-chase.

Michael Neser and Timm van der Gugten opened the bowling to Ollie Robinson and Jordan Cox, with the latter clipping Neser to the ropes at mid-wicket before on-driving the Dutchman for a second four. Robinson punched the Australian through extra-cover before on-driving van der Gugten, but with the total on 28, Robinson feathered a catch down the legside against Neser with Chris Cooke completing a regulation catch.

Zak Crawley began by driving and nurdling Neser for a pair of fours to mid-off and third man before off-driving Dan Douthwaite for another boundary, and then clipping the all-rounder to mid-wicket before declaring on 60-1 to leave the Welsh county a target of 304 in a minimum of 84 overs. Joe Cooke and David Lloyd began the Glamorgan innings against the bowling of Matt Quinn and Darren Stevens, with Lloyd pulling Quinn for four before benefitting from four overthrows as he scampered a quick single.

Cooke opened his account by off-driving Quinn for four as rain started to fall with Lloyd on-driving Stevens for four before the precipitation intensified and briefly forced the players off the field with an over being lost. But on the resumption Lloyd inside-edged a rising ball from Quinn onto his stumps with Marnus Labuschagne arriving in the middle with his adopted county on 23-1.Two overs later the rains returned and the players departed for a second time, with an early lunch being taken at 12.30pm