Bowlers hold sway on intriguing opening day
Sun 19 Aug 2018
SCORE | Day 1 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Leicestershire CCC 220 v Kent CCC 53 for 3
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REACTION | Ned Eckersley spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps
REPORT | The seamers held sway on an intriguing day where conditions favoured leather over willow in the important Specsavers County Championship game between Leicestershire CCC and Kent CCC.
The floodlights were turned on before the match got underway at the Fischer County Ground, and skies were grey throughout as Kent CCC replied to Leicestershire CCC’s 220 with 53 for three.
Captain Paul Horton top-scored with 49 on the day of both his 200th first-class appearance and the signing of a contract extension. Wickets were shared by an impressive visiting attack, Ivan Thomas leading the way with a career-best four for 35.
Muhammad Abbas, who earlier added 20 runs as part of a useful ninth wicket stand worth 39 with Gavin Griffiths, picked up two for 22, while Ben Raine could easily have ended with greater reward than his one for 16.
Leicestershire CCC made one change to the side that won inside two days at the St Lawrence Ground last month as Ateeq Javid came in for Neil Dexter (shoulder).
During the course of the day, Dieter Klein was named as a concussion replacement for Zak Chappell, who was struck on the helmet during the afternoon session.
Sam Billings opted against a coin toss, and Horton opened alongside Harry Dearden, who came into the game on the back of a brace of impressive First XI half-centuries.
The young left-hander looked in good early touch as he sent two balls crashing away through the off-side. But batting was difficult, with Harry Podmore (three for 68) and Darren Stevens gaining considerable movement under grey clouds and a floodlit backdrop, and Dearden (12) was trapped in front by the all-rounder in the eighth over.
Boundaries were hard to come by in the opening session, and Horton and Colin Ackermann needed all of their powers of concentration in the face of some probing seam bowling.
Grant Stewart came on at the Pavilion End, with Stevens switching to the Bennett End, and the former made the second breakthrough by producing a beauty that nipped away off the seam and struck Ackermann (11) in front of off stump in the 20th over.
The Foxes lost a third wicket upon the introduction of Thomas, the tall seamer finding some additional bounce with Mark Cosgrove (4) unable to get out off the way and gloving the nip-backer on to leg stump.
Horton played two gorgeous strokes as the session developed as he drove through mid-on and cracked past backward point. The session honours were taken by the visitors, though, when Javid (8) edged leg-spinner Joe Denly to Sean Dickson at slip in the last over before lunch.
The score was at 79 for four at the interval and Horton immediately took the attack to the visitors in the afternoon session, cutting three fours in the backward point region.
Eckersley (17) also looked in fine fettle, playing a couple of glorious fours down the ground, but he became the third lbw dismissal of the day as Podmore brought one back sharply to rap him on the pads to end the 35-run alliance.
Raine (0) lost his off stump to the very next delivery, and Podmore then made it three wickets in six deliveries as Horton played on one shy of fifty, leaving Leicestershire CCC at 119 for seven in the 39th over.
Chappell (31) and Callum Parkinson played some attractive strokes, with the former brutal on anything over-pitched or short.
The duo added 30 before Parkinson (7) nicked Thomas to Billings, and although the Foxes added a valuable 71 runs from that point, there was another blow when Chappell had to retire hurt after being struck on the helmet with the score at 163 for eight.
Griffiths (20*) and Abbas did a terrific job, defending well, running hard, and hitting two boundaries apiece in sharing 39 for the ninth wicket that guided the side to a first batting point by tea.
Unfortunately Abbas (20) then edged the first ball of the final session from Thomas to Billings, and that brought Klein to the wicket.
The last pair continued to frustrate the visiting attack until Thomas enticed a hook shot out of Klein (11), and Stewart did superbly to get underneath a high catch at long-leg.
There was an early scare for the visitors as Daniel Bell-Drummond edged Abbas on 3, but the low, sharp chance did not quite go to hand at third slip.
However, the next two opportunities were snapped up impressively. Dickson (15) nicked Raine to Cosgrove at first slip, and the all-rounder then took a superb low grab in the gully off Abbas.
The Foxes were threatening constantly on the inside and outside; Denly was struck on the pad first up by Raine, but the ball was missing leg stump on the angle, and Abbas then claimed his second as Bell-Drummond (10) got a feather through to Eckersley.
County now had a bowling point tucked away, but the light then deteriorated further. Umpires Neil Bainton and Jeremy Lloyds took the players off, and they were not to return.
TEAM | Dearden, Horton (capt), Ackermann, Cosgrove, Javid, Eckersley (wk), Raine, Chappell, Parkinson, Griffiths, Abbas.
Concussion replacement: Klein for Chappell.
FIGURES | Abbas 6-0-22-2, Raine 6-2-16-1
PHOTO | Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Paul Horton batting today
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