Hampshire 1st innings: 72-4 after 29 overs

ANDREW HALL took a wicket with only his fourth delivery of the championship campaign and gave Kent a flying start to the rain-ruined opening day of their four-day clash with Hampshire.

Taking the new ball from the Rose Bowl’s Pavilion End, Hall pegged back the middle and leg stumps of opener James Adams with a late, in-swinging yorker that the left-hander never laid a bat on.

After showers and heavy cloud cover had delayed the start by half-an-hour, the action continued at pace when Simon Cook had Michael Brown caught at slip three overs later for the second duck of the day.

Fencing at one that bounced steeply, Brown could only steer the ball into the safe and bucket-like hands of Justin Kemp to make it three for two.

Niall O’Brien conceded three byes to open the host’s scoring, but Hampshire had to wait until the sixth over for their first runs off the bat when John Crawley guided another Cook lifter between third slip and gully for a boundary to third-man.

After the first break for rain former Kent batsman Michael Carberry, having taken 81 minutes to score 17, dragged the ball onto his off stump when attempting to shoulder arms and withdraw his bat - it proved the final action of the morning session.

Another heavy shower led to an hour’s loss after lunch but, in the 12 overs bowled in the mid-session, Kent claimed the wicket of Dominic Thornley, who scored a century here in the C&G Trophy tie between the two sides 10 days earlier.

The right-hander was fortunate to survive when twice miscuing attempted pull shots but, with his score on 13, he nibbled a Darren Stevens leg-cutter into the gloves of Niall O’Brien to make it 72 for four.

A handful of deliveries later and the heaven’s opened yet again forcing the players in for an early tea, from which they never returned to the field of play.

Earlier, Kent made a couple of changes to the side that drew with Yorkshire a fortnight ago as Neil Dexter and Rob Ferley gave way to Hall and a fit again Min Patel.

Scorecard

J H K Adams b Hall 0
M A Carberry b Hall 17
M J Brown c Kemp b Cook 0
J P Crawley not out 33
D J Thornley c O’Brien b Stevens 13
S M Ervine not out 0
Extras 9

Total 72 for four after 29 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-0, 3-2, 3-38, 4-72,

Bowling: Hall 12-5-17-2, Cook 11-3-35-1, Kemp 1-0-6-0, Joseph 3-1-5-0, Stevens 2-2-0-1.

Bonus points: Kent 1pt.

* Mark Pennell's day two report will appear here at the close of play this evening.