GRAVESEND-born Matthew Walker and a fit-again David Fulton will open the batting for Kent during their Canterbury Festival Week championship match with Somerset which starts today at St Lawrence.

With in-form opener Rob Key away on England duty, Walker keeps the berth he temporarily occupied in the four-day win over Leicestershire at Grace Road, while skipper Fulton, who missed that game with a fractured finger, occupies the slot vacated by Key.

Otherwise Fulton, who was also mentioned in England despatches, names an unchanged side to that which comfortably deposed Leicestershire from second spot in the Frizzell Division 1 table.

Speaking ahead of today's game Fulton said: "The C&G defeat in Taunton wasn’t the end of the world and there are still two competitions that we are still alive and kicking in.

"Yes, we may be fighting for second place behind Surrey, but we thought that last year in the NUL and ended up winning it at the death.

"We’re approaching the championship from the same perspective this year, we will go to win every game we can which we anticipate would secure us second place. But if Surrey slip up, then who knows what may happen."

The visitors are still likely to be without opening bat Marcus Trescothick following surgery to a fractured finger.

Kent: Fulton, Walker, Smith, Symonds, Hockley, Ealham, Golding, Patel, Masters, Saggers, Khan.