Kent v Durham

ALMOST a week after ensuring their own first division survival, Kent went a long way to ruining Durham's tilt at the LV Championship title by reducing the visitors to 126 for four on an action-packed opening day at St Lawrence.

The visitors go into day two still trailing by 86 runs, yet still knowing they must post 400 and maximum batting bonus points to stand a realistic chance of overhauling the sides above them.

Responding to Kent's 212 all out, Durham recovered from the early loss of Mark Stoneman (0) leg before to Martin Saggers to post 83 for their second wicket through Michael Di Venuto and Kyle Coetzer.

The pair held their concentration despite a short break for bad light at 4.30pm and appeared to be costing until James Tredwell had Coetzer (44) held bat-pad close in by Neil Dexter in the 20th over of the innings.

Next over up, Di Venuto on 32, attempted to glance at leg-side ball from Ryan McLaren, but the left-hander saw Geraint Jones take off to his right and take a stunning, diving catch in his right glove.

Durham lost their third wicket for six runs in the space of 13 balls when former West Indies' skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul chased down the pitch to Tredwell aiming to loft a straight drive, but the right-hander found a thick outside edge that Martin van Jaarsveld plucked out of the air high over his head at slip.

Dale Benkenstein and Phil Mustard survived the gloom and Kent's attacking fields through to 6.30pm when bad light stopped play three balls prior to the scheduled close, but the visitors will have their work cut out to post another three batting bonus points come day two.

Showers had delayed the start of the game for an hour with the loss of 16 overs but, in spite overcast skies, home skipper Rob Key elected to bat first having won the toss.

He was soon regretting the decision, however, as Durham's experienced seam attack tucked in to claim four wickets inside 17 overs to send Kent in to lunch on 50 for four in a game Durham must win to stand any chance of winning the championship pennant.

Having got off the mark with a rasping drive for four through cover point, Joe Denly was first out when driving at a Graham Onions off cutter that moved down the Nackington Road slope to pluck out the right-hander's leg stump.

In the next over and having faced only two balls, Key (3) pushed at an Ottis Gibson leg-cutter to edge to second slip where Di Venuto claimed the first of four slip catches.

Kent's experienced No4 Matt Walker, having been dropped at short-leg when on seven, perished just four balls later to the same bowler Mark Davies after edging a push drive low to second slip.

Needing 29 to reach his 1,000 first-class runs for the summer, van Jaarsveld moved smoothly to 25 only to receive a lifting, brute of a ball from Mark Davies that he could only fence to Di Venuto, again at second slip.

That brought together Dexter and 17-year-old championship debutant Sam Northeast together for a tricky 10 minute period through to the interval.

Dexter played and missed to reach six, while Northeast got off the mark with a crisp, clip through mid-wicket for four off Davies that posted his maiden first-class runs and Kent's 50.

But the wheels fell of Kent's innings well and truly after the break as they lost six more wickets in the prolonged session through to tea.

Three overs after the interval Northeast (5) followed one from Gibson that held its own on the slope to edge to third slip then Dexter (28) perished to Di Venuto at second slip to give Gibson his 78th first-class wicket of the season - A Durham record beating Simon Brown's 1996 haul of 77.

Jones (32) and Tredwell (18) flourished briefly before falling to Onions and Liam Plunkett respectively, then Simon Cook's back-foot waft against Onions gave wicketkeeper Phil Mustard an over-head catch to make it 147 for nine.

Saving their best until last, Kent then posted 65 in 10 overs for the 10th wicket between McLaren and Saggers (16).

Saggers proffered a couple of half chances to the cordon but rode his luck to see Kent to their first and only batting bonus point.

McLaren, who pulled Plunkett for two sixes to reach his maiden championship 50 from 55 balls and with seven fours, failed to add to his boundary count when, in the next over, Saggers was bowled off his pads to give Davies excellent figures of three for 43, while Gibson and Onions also claimed three apiece.

Scorecard

Kent first innings
R W T Key c Di Venuto bv Gibson 3
J L Denly b Onions 4
M van Jaarsveld c Di Venuto b Davies 25
M J Walker c Di Venuto b Davies 7
N J Dexter c Di Venuto b Gibson 28
S A Northeast c Benkenstein b Gibson 5
G O Jones b Onions 32
J C Tredwell lbw b Plunkett 18
R McLaren not out 54
S J Cook c Mustard b Onions 3
M J Saggers b Davies 16

Extras 17

Total 212 all out in 50.5 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-7, 2-9, 3-27, 4-46, 5-57, 6-84, 7-122, 8-136, 9-147.

Bowling: Gibson 13-1-16-3, Onions 15-2-49-3, Davies 11.5-4-43-3, Plunkett 11-2-52-1.

Durham first innings
M J Di Venuto c Jons b McLaren 32
M D Stoneman lbw b Saggers 0
K J Coetzer c Dexter b Tredwell 44
S Chanderpaul c van Jaarsveld b Tredwell 4
D M Benkenstein not out 22
P Mustard not out 14
Extras 10

Total 126 for four after 34.3 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-3, 2-86, 3-86, 4-92.

Bowling: Saggers 12.3-1-51-1, McLaren 10-1-41-1, Cook 4-0-14-0. Tredwell 8-3-16-2.

Bonus points: Kent 2pt, Durham 3pts.