Kent v Durham (County Championship) : Day One

DURHAM’S title hopes went from slim at breakfast time yesterday to anorexic at lunchtime before briefly gaining weight in the afternoon.

While they were taking seven wickets in the session at Canterbury, Hampshire were threatening a revival against leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

But bad light halted Durham’s progress with Kent on 190 for nine at around the same time as Hampshire’s Nic Pothas dragged a wide ball from Darren Pattinson into his stumps.

After coming together with Hampshire reeling on 96 for six, Pothas and Dimitri Mascarenhas had put on 55, but with the weather again favouring Nottinghamshire they lost only half an hour and had Hampshire on 199 for nine at the close.

Durham still trail by ten points and their only hope now is that Hampshire’s lastminute success in securing the release of Imran Tahir will reap dividends.

The leg-spinner was supposed to have obligations with Titans in South Africa, and on the basis that he wouldn’t be available Nottinghamshire appeared to have produced a dry, cracked pitch.

Kent were not very happy that their pitch was damp and when play began 45 minutes late following rain they would not be surprised when Dale Benkenstein put them in.

It took Durham a while to cash in on the seam movement available, but with Steve Harmison producing a spell of three for four in ten balls, Kent subsided rapidly from 141 for three.

After skipper Robert Key’s outspoken remarks about the Riverside pitch two months ago, it would have been interesting to hear what he was muttering under his breath as he held his side together with an innings of 58.

But after losing his opening partner Joe Denly to the third ball of the match, Key would have been the happier captain when Kent reached 81 for two at lunch.

Straight after the break, however, Martin van Jaarsveld drove Mark Davies straight into the hands of mid-off and it was the third time a wicket had fallen in the first over of a spell.

The day began with Harmison’s first two balls having Denly in all kinds of trouble and the third had him caught behind.

On that limited evidence it seemed Harmison might wreak havoc, but he bowled too short at Geraint Jones, who stayed at No 3 after his 92 at Liverpool last week.

The former England wicketkeeper pulled and hooked without hint of danger and Kent had reached 46 for one after ten overs when Harmison made way for Mark Davies.

Jones padded up to his second ball, and although he was well forward umpire Neil Bainton had no hesitation in giving him out.

Benkenstein kept Callum Thorp going for nine overs, but after the first eight cost only 21 the last went for ten, although the last three runs resulted from an edge by Key.

After Van Jaarsveld’s departure Darren Stevens played comfortably to make 41 in a stand of 60 with Key, whose 50 came off 86 balls.

But after much deliberation by umpire George Sharp, Stevens was adjudged lbw when he thrust his pad well forward at a ball from Ben Harmison. It sparked the fall of five wickets for 18 runs, with Harmison senior again striking in the first over of a new spell when he produced a beauty to remove Key.

It drew the Kent captain forward on off stump and left him to take the edge on the way to Phil Mustard.

In the next over Mustard took an excellent catch when Ryan McLaren edged a drive at Ben Harmison, then Steve had Justin Kemp lbw with a ball of low bounce.

The paceman finished the day with figures of four for 72 after Yasir Arafat cut straight to Benkenstein at gully, and Harmison could have had a fifth as James Tredwell survived a difficult first-ball chance to Mustard.

Robbie Joseph hit a quick 19 before Thorp had him caught behind to clinch the third bowling point, but Durham remain a point behind Somerset, who appear to have produced a result pitch at Taunton. They were dismissed for 202 but then took four Lancashire wickets.

If both Durham and Somerset were to win, Durham would have to score 350 to go second, and to be champions they need Nottinghamshire to fail to win and to earn one fewer batting point.

In essence, Durham need to make a minimum of 350 and if the forecast for three fine days to end the season is accurate, they should have a drying pitch to help them.

SCORECARD

Kent v Durham
At Canterbury. Durham Won Toss

Kent
J L Denly c Mustard b S J Harmison .0
R W Key c Mustard b S J Harmison 58
G O Jones lbw b Davies 25
M van Jaarsveld c Chanderpaul b Davies 12
D I Stevens lbw b B W Harmison 41
J M Kemp lbw b S J Harmison 5
R McLaren c Mustard b B W Harmison .0
Yasir Arafat c Benkenstein b S J Harmison 5
J C Tredwell not out .10
R H Joseph c Mustard b Thorp .19
M J Saggers not out 4
Extras (lb5 nb6 pens 0) .11
Total 9 wkts (52 overs).190
Fall: 1-0 2-46 3-81 4-141 5-149 6-150 7-150
8-157 9-180
Bowling: S J Harmison 17-1-72-4. Thorp
12-3-40-1. Davies 13-4-33-2. Wiseman 1-0-
6-0. B W Harmison 9-1-34-2.