Hampshire v Kent

KENT took small, but positive strides toward saving themselves from their first bitter taste of LV Championship relegation by dominating day one of their penultimate match of the season against Hampshire.

Batting first in ideal, sunny conditions at the Rose Bowl, Kent closed this first day of four in the reasonably healthy position of 342 for five courtesy of a Martin van Jaarsveld's fifth championship century of the summer.

Joe Denly (54) and Rob Key (84) were the other major contributors to the cause, posting 120 inside 33 overs for their maiden century opening stand of the season as Hampshire, despite using six bowlers, struggled for an early breakthrough.

Denly reached his first championship half-century since late July from 85 balls and with 10 fours, but was out soon after stumped by Nic Pothas off the bowling of Shane Warne.

Key appeared to receive a life when, with his score on 36, he seemed to edge the first ball of the match from debutant David Balcombe - a very full away swinger - to Chris Benham at third slip.

Key stood his ground believing the ball had gone from bat to ground and then bounced up into Benham's hands, he was duly given the benefit of the doubt after umpires George Sharp and Roy Palmer consulted at mid-wicket.

The Kent skipper went on to reach 50 from 58 balls and was only 16 short of his fourth century in successive four-day games when he was given leg before to Sean Ervine when aiming to work an in-swinging ball to leg.

Matt Walker joined forces with van Jaarsveld to take Kent within a single of their second batting bonus point with a third-wicket stand worth 80 in 24 overs before Walker, on 38, pushed forward in defence to nick a bat-pad chance off Warne to Michael Brown, diving forward at short-leg.

The second new ball was barely five overs old when James Bruce got one to swing back in to Darren Stevens (18), take the inside edge and fly through to the keeper.

Pothas was again in action soon after when Neil Dexter's attempted steer he found a thick outside edge to give Balcombe, a right-arm seamer from Durham University, his maiden championship wicket that left Kent on 310 for five.

Geraint Jones and van Jaarsveld, who reached three figures from 175 balls and with 14 fours, made it through the nine overs remaining to stumps without further alarm giving Kent high hopes of posting 400 and maximum batting bonus points come the second day.

Key and his side will be further buoyed by events at Old Trafford where fellow strugglers Warwickshire, in their final game of the LV campaign, slumped to 106 all out against Lancashire, who ended the day 50 runs ahead and with six, first-innings wickets intact.

Scorecard
Kent first innings
J L Denly st Pothas b Warne 54
R W T Key lbw b Ervine 84
M van Jaarsveld not out 112
M J Walker c Brown b Warne 38
D I Stevens c Pothas b Bruce 18
N J Dexter c Pothas b Balcombe 6
G O Jones not out 20
Extras 10

Total 342 for five after 104 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-122, 2-169, 3-249, 4-296, 5-310.

Bowling: Bruce 24-4-82-1, Tomlinson 16-4-65-0, Balcombe 22-4-74-1, Warne 29-6-82-2. Ervine 10-3-29-1, Carberry 3-1-5-0.