Cooke's career-best 171 sees Glamorgan to 329 at Canterbury

The Welsh county handed a first-class debut to nineteen year-old Kieran Bull who was one of three changes to the Glamorgan line-up from the side that met Essex at Swansea a fortnight ago with the young off-spinner replacing Andrew Salter. Gareth Rees also returned in place of Murray Goodwin to make his first Championship appearance since the second week of May whilst David Lloyd replaced James Harris who has returned to Middlesex for their match against Warwickshire at Lord's.


However, it was the usual pairing of Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg who opened the batting, with the latter needing 70 runs to reach 1,000 first-class runs for the season as the vastly experienced pairing of Mitch Claydon and Darren Stevens shared the new ball. In the fifth over, the pair joined forces as Claydon found the edge of Rudolph's bat with Stevens, at first slip, completing the catch.


Indeed, there was plenty of playing and missing in the opening hour as Kent's new ball pairing found some lateral movement. After bowling five overs and conceding just a single, Claydon was replaced by Robbie Joseph at the Pavilion End, but Stevens continued at the Nackington Road End and in his seventh over, he also found the edge of Rees' bat with wicket-keeper Sam Billings completing the regulation catch.


In the next over, 7/2 became 7/3 as Bragg departed l.b.w to Joseph as the first hour's play saw just six singles plus a leg-bye, with Kent securing their first bowling point. Jim Allenby duly struck the day's first boundary as he carved his third delivery through backward point. With the total on 15, Stevens might have struck again but the edge from Chris Cooke's bat was dropped at second slip. The batsman celebrated his good fortune by steering the next ball through extra cover, before three balls later Allenby effortlessly drove Joseph to the ropes at long-on.


The all-rounder then steered the next ball through the covers before clipping the last ball of the over to third man, and he added another boundary to his tally next over as he crisply off-drove Stevens. Matt Hunn duly replaced Stevens in the attack, whilst Claydon returned at the Pavilion End and was drilled to long-off by Allenby, who then deftly cut Hunn to the ropes at third man as Glamorgan reached the fifty-mark in the 24^th over.


Cooke also unleashed a fierce cut as he sent a short and wide ball from Hull to back ward point as the fourth wicket pair counted to mount a forthright riposte after the clatter of early wickets. Allenby struck another four as he drilled Claydon square through the offside as the second hour of the contest appeared to be very different to the first. However, shortly before lunch Claydon had Allenby caught behind for 44 as he attempted to pull a short delivery.

Resuming after lunch on 86/4, Glamorgan supporters were hoping that David Lloyd and Chris Cooke could continue the recovery mission after having been 7/3 at the end of the first hour, but Darren Stevens who had delivered a probing new ball spell at the Nackington Road End returned after the interval and with his second delivery had Lloyd caught as he drove the ball into cover's hands.


Mark Wallace duly joined Cooke and sweetly cover drove his third delivery, before his partner cut Claydon to backward point en route to Glamorgan reaching three figures in the 34^th over. Cooke - who before lunch had been dropped on 2 - then edged Robbie Joseph through a vacant third slip position before drilling Stevens to the ropes at mid-off and backward point to complete a 68-ball fifty.


Wallace also steered Joseph through the gully for another boundary, whilst Cooke nurdled Claydon to the vacant third man position before Adam Riley's spin was introduced in the 40^th over. Cooke greeted him with a forceful sweep to backward square-leg as the fifty stand came up. Wallace then pulled a ling-hop from the spinner for four but next ball he drove uppishly to Daniel Bell-Drummond at short extra-cover as Glamorgan slipped to 148/6.


With Graham Wagg as his new partner, Cooke despatched Riley through the covers for four. After a couple of singles, Wagg also cover drove Joseph before straight driving Riley for six, followed by a rasping punch off the back foot through extra cover. The boundaries continued to come as Cooke greeted the return of Hunn by clipping the seamer off his hips to the ropes of backward square-leg, but shortly afterwards, the youngster gained reward by having Wagg l.b.w. as Glamorgan lost their seventh wicket on 183.


It might have become 183/8 but Stevens at first slip could not quite pouch a low edge from Dean Cosker as Hunn threatened to maraud his way through the lower order. Cooke though continued his accumulation off-driving Riley to the boards in front of the scoreboard which shortly afterwards displayed a batting point for the visitors as Cosker despatched Hunn through the covers for four.


Cooke continued to work his way though the nineties with a series of singles, before clipping Ben Harmison to mid-wicket for two, followed by a push to cover for a single before reaching his hundred by despatching Claydon for three through the offside - his 134^th delivery.

Chris Cooke's maiden first-class hundred had seen Glamorgan reach 226/7 at tea, and together with Dean Cosker he continued the recovery after tea, cover-driving Stevens before a couple of nurdles to third man by Cosker brought up their fifty stand. Cosker added another third to his tally as lofted Riley to wide long-on before glancing Joseph to fine-leg for a single as Glamorgan secured a second batting point in the 71^st over.


Cooke, who had posted a career-best 96 against Kent at Cardiff earlier in the season, continued to prosper against their attack as he quietly worked the ball around as Adam Riley had another spell at the Nackington Road End. Cosker also deftly cut the spinner to the ropes at third man for four before Cooke greeted the return of Matt Hunn by straight driving him for four followed by a rasping cover drive for three.


A cover drive by Cooke against Hunn brought up the century stand in 29 overs, before Cooke surpassed his previous best score for the 1^st XI - 137* against Somerset at Taunton in a one-day game in 2012 - by clipping Riley for two, shortly before Kent took the new ball with Glamorgan on 289-7. Cooke celebrated by swatting Mitch Claydon over the slip cordon for four before punching Stevens off the back foot through extra cover shortly before the Welsh county secured their third batting point.


But one run later their doughty stand was ended as Cosker edged Claydon into the slips where Stevens at first slip grasped the ball as he moved to his right. Michael Hogan joined Cooke who then reached his 150 from 196 balls before Claydon bowled the Australian.


Kieran Bull nonchalantly clipped his initial ball in first-class cricket for four to square-leg with the youngster - born in Pembrokeshire and having a good record in club cricket with Carmarthen Wanderers and Neath - giving stoic support to Cooke, who twice drilled Stevens to wide log-on for four before lofting the bowler over fine-leg for a massive six. His aggression against the seamers saw the return of Riley but to the spinner's first delivery Cooke advanced down the wicket again and holed out to long-off as Glamorgan ended on 329.


This left Kent with four overs to negotiate - a task which Daniel Bell-Drummond and Rob Key safely achieved with Kent ending the day on 1/0.