Bowlers dominate day one

DAY ONE | Leicestershire CCC 66 for 5 v Kent CCC 232

SCORECARD | Available HERE

REPORT | Leicestershire dismissed the visitors, Kent CCC, on day one and got their first innings response up and running on an exciting day at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Callum Parkinson showed his skill with the red ball and finished with first innings figures of 68 for 4, as Jack Leaning led the way for Kent with the bat.

The visitors fought back and claimed five evening session Leicestershire wickets in a day where the bowlers prevailed.

The Running Foxes returned to LV= County Championship cricket, with the visit of Kent CCC in the first round of Division Three action.

Kent travelled to the Uptonsteel County Ground and won the toss on a grey day in Leicestershire and opted for a bat.

There were three changes to the Foxes, as Hassan Azad and Chris Wright returned to the XI and Louis Kimber made his first-class bow for the Running Foxes, becoming the 494th player to represent Leicestershire in first-class cricket.

The Running Foxes, and Chris Wright in particular, made an early breakthrough from just the fifth delivery of the day.

Wright opened the bowling from the Bennett End, and found the edge of Jordan Cox (0, 2b) with an away swinger as captain Colin Ackermann caught the nick off at second slip. The wicket prompted Joe Denly to join Zak Crawley in the middle, with Kent on 3 for 1.

The duo got off to a quick start together, and soon the rate was nearing five an over as the Foxes attack set about containing the batsmen.

The attack of Wright, Davis, Barnes and Parkinson responded well and began bringing the rate down to just over three, and soon, the pressure told with Kent’s second wicket.

First though, Crawley was successful in bringing up his half-century, coming from 68 balls including nine fours.

The very next ball then saw the back of Crawley (50, 69b), as Parkinson’s delivery enticed the batsman into a big swing and a miss and clipped the top of off.

Parkinson then struck with the first ball of his next over, and this time saw off Denly for 29(59b).

It took incredible reactions from Colin Ackermann at first slip, to get down low to his right and grab the nick-off one handed.

Kent were now 80 for three with two new batsmen in Jack Leaning and Sam Billings in the middle.

Lunch was nearing for the visitors, but there was enough time left in the morning session for the Running Foxes to claim their fourth wicket and really stamp their authority on day one.

Parkinson was the man to claim the wicket, his third of the morning, as the Foxes saw off Kent Skipper Billings.

The Foxes man snuck one through the gate of Billings (11, 14b) who was looking to defend his way through to the interval.

Lunch then came with Kent on 96 for four after an explosive end to the morning session for Leicestershire.

The Foxes came out in for the afternoon session in the same way they ended the morning session, with wickets, and it was Parkinson who got them underway as he saw Ollie Robinson off for 7(16b).

The Kent batsman top-edged the delivery skyward towards fine leg where Lewis Hill was on hand to take the simple catch.

Five balls later, and Wright claimed his second of the day with the scalp of Darren Stevens for 0(2b).

The former-Fox could only get an outside edge on Wright’s delivery and in doing so, guided it straight to the hands of Louis Kimber at third slip.

A fast start for Leicestershire in the afternoon got even better, as Wright now claimed his third of the day.

Grant Stewart was the man to go, as after a lengthy appeal, Wright pinned the batsman infront for 3(12b).

Kent were now 116 for 7 after less than 10 afternoon session overs.

The eighth wicket partnership looked to restore some order to the visitors’ first innings as the duo of Leaning and Milnes went on to record a 42-run partnership before Leicestershire found their eighth wicket of the day.

Ed Barnes was the man to take the wicket, as he claimed his first of the day after angling one back into Milnes (22, 36b) and crashing it into his fellow seamers off stump.

Kent were now 158 for eight with two wickets remaining as Nathan Gilchrist made his way to the middle to join Leaning.

The final two wickets fell for Kent by way of run-out. First, Evans and Swindells combined to dismiss Gilchrist (0, 10b) after the batsman looked for two, as Leaning hooked Ben Mike down to backward square leg.

Evans did well to gather and fire it into the vacant striker’s end where Swindells was on hand to complete the stumping with Gilchrist down the track.

The final wicket also fell to a run-out, despite putting on a resolute stand of 68 off 97 balls, adding to the crucial runs recorded by the eighth wicket partnership.

James Logan was the wicket to fall, for 21 (43b), after Leaning swept Parkinson around the corner towards Hill at short fine leg. The Foxes man was on hand to gather and direct back to Swindells, again at the striker’s end, who was left with a bit to do after hesitation in the middle.

The two run-outs brought Kent’s first innings to a close on 232 after a successful rear-guard action from partnerships eight and ten for the visitors. Leaning finished the first innings on 75*.

Hassan Azad and Sam Evans emerged to open the Running Foxes’ response with 26 overs remaining in day one.

The duo got off to an assured start, recording 19 runs without loss within the first five overs from the opening attack of Milnes and Stevens.

As County were approaching their tenth over at bat, the visitors struck through Milnes.

Milnes found the thick outside edge of Evans (10, 20b) as the Foxes man saw it fly into the hands of Leaning at third slip.

Captain Ackermann joined Azad (15*) in the middle with Leicestershire on 26 for one.   

Four further Leicestershire wickets fell in the evening session, for a total of 26 runs, before day one came to a close.

First to go from the four was Ackermann (2, 13b) as Billings accepted the feather behind off the bowling of Stewart.

The third wicket partnership lasted just two deliveries before Stewart claimed his second of the over after rocking Hill’s leg stump for 0(3b).

Two balls later, and Azad (18, 49b) was making his way back to the pavilion as Stevens claimed his first of the day.

The Kent man found the outside edge of the batman as Billings caught the nick off behind.

Louis Kimber and Harry Swindells now occupied the crease for the Running Foxes, with Leicestershire sitting on 33 for four as they looked to rebuild the innings.

The duo lasted 24 deliveries, and added just 14 runs to the total, before Kent found their fifth wicket of the session.

The man to go was Swindells (4, 13b) after being pinned infront by Logan who claimed his first of the day.

Ben Mike joined Kimber in the middle to form the sixth first innings partnership with their goal to see the remaining 7.5 overs of the day out.

The duo managed to do exactly that, with putting on an extra 19 runs to bring the Foxes score to 66 for five, Kimber 13*, Mike 14*, as day one came to a close.

FIGURES (1st inns) | Wright 17-2-59-3, Davis 9-2-31-0, Barnes 11-1-44-1, Parkinson 28-9-68-4, Mike 3-0-22-0, Ackermann 2-0-2-0

Milnes 6-2-15-1, Stevens 7-2-24-1, Stewart 6-2-10-2, Logan 4-1-3-1, Denly 3-0-12-0

TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Colin Ackermann (C), Lewis Hill, Louis Kimber, Harry Swindells (wk), Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson, Ed Barnes, Chris Wright, Will Davis.

KENT CCC | Zak Crawley, Jordan Cox, Joe Denly, Jack Leaning, Sam Billings (C, wk), Ollie Robinson, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart, Matt Milnes, Nathan Gilchrist, James Logan.

IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.

MATCH SPONSOR | Thanks to Dandelion Clothing for sponsoring our 2021 LV= County Championship fixture against Kent CCC.