Leaders make their Mark
Sun 29 May 2016
Kent versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 1:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Skipper Mark Cosgrove speaks to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the first day are available HERE
REPORT | Leicestershire’s captains in both forms of the game made their mark as the team passed a big test of character on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship game at Kent.
County endured a tough time in the second innings against Worcestershire and then slipped into early trouble at 19-3 today before Mark Cosgrove and Mark Pettini batted beautifully to help the team post 340-8.
The respective first-class and white ball skippers put on 218 in 51.4 overs, the second highest partnership for any Leicestershire wicket against Kent.
Pettini (97) narrowly missed out on his century just before tea, and Cosgrove (119) was run out early in the evening session, but more useful contributions arrived to ensure the Foxes ended on the verge of a fourth batting point.
The sides made six changes between them with Kent boosted by the return of previously injured duo Tom Latham and Darren Stevens, and Sam Billings, back fresh from IPL duty.
Seamer Matt Hunn also returned with Adam Ball, Alex Blake and Adam Rouse missing out alongside the injured Mitch Claydon.
Leicestershire handed first Specsavers County Championship appearances of the season to Ned Eckersley and James Sykes in place of Aadil Ali and Tom Wells.
There was another first for 2016 as Leicestershire won the toss - the respective captains had lost on six other occasions and seen two uncontested at the Fischer County Ground - and Cosgrove opted to let his batsmen have first use of the wicket.
The ball nibbled about under the early overcast sky and new ball duo Matt Coles and Stevens, so often the causers of headaches for County, exploited the conditions.
Paul Horton (9) pushed at a Stevens leg-cutter to edge behind and give Billings a first catch of the season. Four balls later Angus Robson (0) drove at Matt Coles only to pick out Daniel Bell-Drummond at cover point who snaffled the catch diving forward and slightly to his right to make it 9 for two.
Ten runs on, Neil Dexter went lbw for a single, deceived by a slower off-cutter from Stevens that thudded into the former Kent all-rounder’s front pad.
Experienced pairing Cosgrove and Pettini provided the aspirin with a spirited counter-attack to post Leicestershire’s 100 in the 28th over of the morning.
Cosgrove, who posted a century in the reverse fixture at the Fischer County Ground in April, drove nicely and also picked up a quarter of his morning’s tally with run-downs to the vacant third man area.
The left-hander was exactly 50 not out at lunch with his 55-ball milestone having included eight fours. Pettini was unbeaten on 40 at that stage with the score at 105-3.
After the stand moved into three figures, the number five batsman recorded his landmark from 84 deliveries, also collecting eight boundaries in the process. Those fours were a mixture of powerful back foot strokes through the off-side and deft manipulation of the ball to leg.
The score was rattling along, including a period where five balls went to the boundary boards in the space of seven deliveries. Cosgrove was in no mood to let the spinner settle, smashing James Tredwell for three of those fours in the space of four balls at the start of the 43rd over. The first was an imperious strike down the ground to take the alliance beyond 150.
The duo were soon posting a record fourth-wicket stand for Leicestershire in matches against Kent in moving past the previous best of 162, set by Albert Lord and JH King at the Aylestone Road Ground, Leicester in 1923.
Captain Cosgrove marched on to reach his third century in four first-class innings against Kent from just 127 balls in a fine knock that had yielded 15 fours at that point.
Pettini looked set to join him in three figures but, three runs short of the milestone, the right hander nicked the second ball from leg-spinner Joe Denly into the gloves of Billings.
In terms of partnerships in this fixture over the years, it passed the second highest. Cosgrove was also involved in that alliance only last month, sharing 217 for the third wicket with Dexter. It was eight runs away from becoming the largest but that piece of history is still held by Neil Johnson and Ben Smith, who put on an unbroken 225 for the fifth wicket here in 1999.
Cosgrove’s fun came to a surprising end shortly after the resumption following an extraordinary piece of glovework by Kent’s Billings.
After aiming yet another glide down to third man, Cosgrove set off looking for a single only to be sent back by Niall O'Brien at the non-striker's end. Cosgrove slipped when turning and was stranded two yards out of his ground when Sean Dickson's throw was intercepted by Billings, who used one glove to back-flick the ball on to the timbers.
Kent gave Hunn the second new ball down the Nackington Road slope, a move that paid dividends as the 22-year-old snared O’Brien leg before with his third delivery. The left-hander had struck five fours in a lively 31.
Stevens returned for a third spell at the Pavilion End and had a third success of the day when Eckersley (11) was caught behind. The right-hander was drawn into pushing at one that shaped away and feathered the outside edge.
There was still work to do at 290-7 but Clint McKay (16 not out) added 50 useful runs in combination with Ben Raine (18), who edged to become the fifth wicket that Billings had a hand in, and Sykes (11 not out).
The dismissal also meant that Coles and Stevens have now taken 96 first-class wickets at 21.12 between them against Leicestershire, Coles reaching a half-century when dismissing his fellow left-hander.
