Durham v Kent day one

Kent’s injury-hit seam attack performed beyond expectations at the Riverside where, after a two hour break for rain, the visitors stormed back to dismiss Durham for 146 inside 58 overs on an action packed day that saw 15 wickets fall in this LV Championship clash.

It was comeback bowler Amjad Khan and a revitalized Robbie Joseph who caused the initial mid-afternoon collapse, taking 3-27 and 3-30 respectively, before former Durham swing bowler Martin Saggers polished off the tail with 4-26 inside 14.3 overs.

There was no sign of the rout to follow at the start of the day as Durham openers Michael Di Venuto and Mark Stoneman added 50 inside 15 overs either side of the rain break that came just 17 minutes into the match.

The players took an early lunch and emerged at 2.17pm and still Di Venuto and Stoneman looked reasonably comfortable against the early onslaught from Ryan McLaren, Khan and Saggers.

But then Joseph’s introduction from the Lumley End changed the course of the day with a six over stint of 2-7.

He had Di Venuto (27) caught behind by Jones then, in his next over, Stoneman was squared up by a leg-cutter that beat the outside edge and just brushed the top of off-stump.

Amjad Khan then got in on the act by having Shivnarine Chanderpaul (10) snaffled at second slip by Martin van Jaarsveld as the former West Indies’ skipper fenced at a leg-cutter.

With the score on 91, Durham lost three more wickets. Skipper Dale Benkenstein (0) chopped onto his stumps when attempting a back-foot force through the covers, Will Smith (22) played late on a full-length ball to lose his off stump to Joseph then, in the next over, Khan got one to lift and leave left-handed Phil Mustard who nicked it to van Jaarsveld again at second slip.

After tea Saggers replaced Khan at the Finchale End and caused havoc with late away swing seam movement by taking the next four wickets to fall.

Liam Plunkett (21) followed an away swinger to edge to Jones then Callum Thorp’s airy drive also found an edge to fly to James Tredwell at first slip.

Paul Wiseman (13) smeared across the line to Saggers to have his stumps re-arranged then, two balls later, last man Mark Davies (0) played late on a yorker to lose his off stump and leave Saggers with season’s best figures of 4-26.

Sadly, in the 23 overs remaining in the day, Kent’s batsmen fared just as badly and stumbled through to the close at 43-5 despite an improvement in the light.

Despite playing watchfully, both Kent openers received good balls and were back in the pavilion within 13 overs.

Rob Key (4) edged one from Callum Thorp that lifted and left him to be caught behind. Joe Denly (21), caught on the crease by a full quick one from Mark Davies, then had his middle stump knocked back.

Then, after a torrid start to his innings, Neil Dexter (1) aimed an ambitious drive at a Thorp in-ducker to go leg before to make it 26-3.

Five overs from the close, Matt Walker (3) paid the price for a late decision to shoulder arms to a Davies in-swinger and was given leg before by umpire John Holder.

Night watchman Martin Saggers made only a single before he pushed down the line of middle stump against Davies only to have off trimmed.

Although van Jaarsveld (8) and James Tredwell (0) made it through to stumps without further loss, Kent still trail by 103 going into day two.

Kent side: Denly, Key, Dexter, van Jaarsveld, Walker, Jones, McLaren, Tredwell, Joseph, Saggers, Khan.

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