KENT recovered from a sticky start to their Canterbury Cricket Week championship clash with Glamorgan to put the Welsh bowling attack to the sword at sunny St Lawrence.

Though the marching bands and pomp of bygone festival weeks were notable only by their absence, it was pretty much cricket to the form book as title-chasing Kent cashed in against Glamorgan’s struggling attack.

Though Kent stuttered after winning the toss and lost three wickets in the first session, they finished the day well on top with 437 for five from just 99 overs.

The basement visitors had only five first choice bowlers and no overseas players available to them, so were understandably cock-a-hoop at reducing Kent to 99 for three after the first 25 overs of the game.

Skipper David Fulton (15) chased a wide drive to edge to the keeper, Rob Key (35) missed a yorker that uprooted off and leg stumps then Matt Walker (11) played inside a leg-cutter to lose his off stump.

The home side kicked on after lunch in scoring 170 runs in the session, for the loss of two more wickets.

Even so, it was a mid-session that started badly with the loss of Martin van Jaarsveld for 41, just four short of reaching 1,000 first-class runs for the summer.

Playing well back in defence against Alex Wharf, van Jaarsveld chopped on to middle and off stumps to make it 132 for four.

Stevens then teamed up with another South African, Justin Kemp, to add 101 in 21 overs with Kemp contributing 39 from 66 balls.

He hit five fours and the only six of the day over long-on off the bowling of Dean Cosker, who later trapped his man leg before as Kemp attempted to sweep.

Though dropped on 72 off a rasping return catch to left-arm spinner Cosker, Stevens moved on to his second century for Kent, his first at St Lawrence and the sixth of his career with a single to mid-wicket against Robert Croft.

He reached the milestone in 167 minutes, from 136 balls and with 16 fours.

Andrew Hall joined Stevens in taking Kent though to tea without further alarm, then the pair accelerated in the last session and against the new ball in particular to post an unbroken 204 for the sixth wicket in 44 overs.

Hall reached his maiden century for Kent from 127 balls with 14 fours, while Stevens improved on his career-best from Edgbaston earlier this year to finish in 173 from 219 balls and with 26 boundaries.

With power to add and five batting bonus points already banked, Kent will be eyeing to push on and bat Glamorgan out of this game by lunch time of day two.

SCOREBOARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Wallace b Waters 15
R W T Key b Wharf 35
M van Jaarsveld b Wharf 41
M J Walker b Harrison 11
D I Stevens not out 173
J Kemp lbw b Cosker 39
A J Hall not out 101
Extras 22
Total 437 for five after 99 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-46, 2-64, 3-99, 4-132, 5-233.

Bowling: Harrison 20-3-100-1, Wharf 19-4-79-2, Waters 18-1-83-1, Croft 25-3-101-0, Cosker 17-2-71-1.

Related article:

Kent v Glamorgan: day one pictures