County gain valuable lead at Kent
Sun 22 Jul 2018
SCORE | Day 1 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Kent CCC 104 v Leicestershire CCC 149 for 6
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Neil Dexter spoke to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae at stumps
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REPORT | Leicestershire CCC worked hard to gain a valuable advantage on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship game at second-placed Kent CCC.
There was lots of useful contributions throughout as the hosts were dismissed for 104 at the St Lawrence Ground before County closed with a lead of 45 with four first innings wickets remaining.
Leading wicket-taker Ben Raine and Zak Chappell enjoyed the most bowling success with three-fors, while Neil Dexter claimed a brace and Gavin Griffiths and Muhammad Abbas chipped in as the Foxes banked maximum bowling points.
Dexter also shone with the bat, scoring 41 as part of an important fifth wicket stand worth 70 with Ned Eckersley, who ended the day on a vital 45 not out to go alongside five first innings catches behind the stumps.
County made two changes to the side that beat Derbyshire CCC in their previous Championship fixture just under a month ago as Eckersley returned in place of Lewis Hill and Chappell came back into the team for Richard Jones. Captain Paul Horton opted for an uncontested toss, and it paid dividends.
Muhammad Abbas and Raine opened the bowling for County and tested Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson straight away. In the third over, Dickson edged Abbas through the slip cordon for four and next over Raine had a confident appeal against Bell-Drummond turned down.
The all-rounder was soon gaining reward with two wickets in as many balls. Bell-Drummond (9) was the first to fall, edging to Eckersley, who took a fine diving catch. Next ball Heino Kuhn (0) was bowled by Raine with a ball that seamed in.
The opening bowlers both bowled seven overs in their first spells before Chappell replaced Abbas at the Pavilion End and Gavin Griffiths came on for Raine from the Nackington Road End.
Chappell’s second over bought County’s third reward, Joe Denly (5) edging through to Eckersley. An over later and Griffiths was in on the act; Dickson (24) had been the mainstay of the innings but pushed at a ball that the seamer angled in and edged to Eckersley, Kent CCC now at 48-4.
Captain Billings (10) played one particularly pleasant shot through mid-off for four, but he played Chappell on to his stumps as his side slipped to 58 for five. It became 65 for six as Chappell claimed a third wicket, Zak Crawley (5) edging to the ‘keeper.
Stevens and Harry Podmore guided Kent CCC to lunch with the score at 73 for 6. Raine and Dexter resumed with the ball after the break, and Dexter was in inspired form, trapping both Podmore (2) and Grant Stewart (0) lbw in the second over after the interval.
Former Fox Stevens sensed his moment to attack and looked to hit over the fielders, looking particularly menacing as he pulled hard.
The eighth wicket added 26 before Abbas took his first wicket of the innings, Mitchell Claydon (5) edging an attempted cover drive off Abbas to Eckersley, who pouched his fifth catch.
Raine finished off the innings when Ivan Thomas (0) was pinned in front with Stevens left stranded on an innings top-score of 38 not out.
The response got off to a tough start as Podmore found the edge of Harry Dearden (0) with Billings taking the catch, and leading scorer Colin Ackermann (5) nicking Stevens to second slip, County slipping to 17 for two.
Mark Cosgrove joined Horton and the pair put on the highest partnership of the match to that point, adding 30.
Cosgrove (21) was the aggressor, striking several boundaries through cover, before Horton (21) edged the pacy Thomas to Billings. Cosgrove was then dismissed for an entertaining 23, Stewart rapping the left-hander on the pads.
County were 63 for four at tea with Dexter on 10* and Eckersley 3*. The pair played well, and put on the first 50 stand of the match as Eckersley guided Stewart through cover point for four.
The same shot also took the Foxes into three figures, and Dexter was in the mood to accelerate with Denly’s first over hit for back-to-back boundaries over cover.
It took something special to end the alliance. Thomas was the bowler to deliver, deceiving Dexter with a beautiful delivery that appeared to be angling towards middle, but instead hit the top of off stump.
Raine played a different innings to his recent T20 knocks, being incredibly watchful and mainly let his partner Eckersley take the strike.
The first ball of the last over saw leg-spinner Denly remove Raine (9), caught at slip, with time subsequently being called on an intriguing day.
TEAM | Horton (capt), Dearden, Ackermann, Cosgrove, Dexter, Eckersley (wk), Raine, Chappell, Parkinson, Griffiths, Abbas
FIGURES | 1st innings: Abbas 9-4-17-1, Raine13.5-2-39-3, Chappell 7-2-14-3, Griffiths 5-1-17-1, Dexter 3-1-11-2
PHOTO | Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Zak Chappell bowling
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